Arendelle High
by RaymanK16
Summary: Modern Frozen AU set in a high school. I had to come to Arendelle High School for my senior year. I thought I would hate it, but I met someone who changed that. Rated T for some language and suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1

I took a deep breath, looking up at the school. It was strange coming to a new town, with new people and places. I had grown up in the same town my whole life, in Washington State. But now my parents had to move. It was hard having parents who were both in the military. My dad had was a lieutenant colonel stationed in Afghanistan as a marine, and my mom was a captain who had been out at Pearl Harbor as a Navy strategic coordinator. People always thought how cool it was to have such high ranking military officers as parents, but I always thought it was an inconvenience. They just never seemed to be home. I dreaded the day when their work would force them to move, and now that day had come and passed. They were getting situated at the new house, while I stared at Arendelle High School. The town of Arendelle was a rather large one in California, which was quite different than Washington. It was technically a district of Los Angeles, but the locals called it Arendelle after the area's founder. Anyway, the building intimidated me. It stood 3 stories high, and was a good 500 feet wide. There were a bunch of kids already parking in the lot outside the office, making their way inside the front entrance. They all seemed excited for the first day of school. I got out of my red 2010 Mazda3i, a gift from my parents for having to move. It was a seriously nice car, very sporty, but I noticed that I wasn't the only one with a nice car in the lot. Some people in the area had bank, with what they were driving around. I strode up to the main office, watching everybody else go through the front entrance gates. Upon entering the office, I found that the air was quite cool and pleasant on the scorching 80 degree day. This heat will take some getting used to, growing up in Washington and all. Behind the main desk sat a rather large woman with too much makeup, going over start of the year documents. She looked up as I entered, giving me a warm smile.

"Hello, you must be our new senior, erm, Braden!" she said, looking over some papers. I nodded, handing her my transfer slip and signed permission forms, awkwardly standing by the desk, unsure of what else to do. It kind of sucked, switching schools as a senior. But in the end, it couldn't be helped. I never really had any good friends back in Washington anyway. I was always that one quiet kid who did his work and hung out, but never really got involved. I hadn't been in any kind of serious relationship, either. The girls at my old school never seemed to think the same way I did. The only two girlfriends I had lasted 3 weeks and a month, respectively. The office lady, who I identified as Mrs. Riley from the nameplate on her desk, handed me a schedule and a map of the school.

"Hmm, I hope the map helps. Arendelle high is a rather large school, and it can sometimes get confusing..."

Just as she was turning to look for something else to help me navigate, another girl bounded into the office from the inside entrance, hurrying over to Mrs. Riley. The girl was slender, pretty, with reddish brown hair braided into two ponytails, and a light smattering of freckles around her nose. She had on a light blue t-shirt and skinny jeans, with a bright pink backpack, headphones hanging around her neck.

"Heya, Triss!" exclaimed the girl, handing some more papers to the woman. "I got you those flyers, and the lists of the sophomore teachers."

At the sight of the girl, Mrs. Riley's eyes shot up. Just as the girl was turning to leave, Mrs. Riley motioned to her. "Anna, could you be a dear and show around Braden, here? He's new, and could use a little help finding his classes."

"Sure, Mrs. R! See you later!" she exclaimed, grabbing my hand and rather forcefully pulling me out the door. She pulled me along through the commons until we got to the main hallway, where a number of lockers stood.

"So, what's your locker number?" she asked, giving me a big smile. I look down at my paperwork.

"Let's see, it is...number 245."

"Oh, I know where that is. Just around this corner," she said, pulling me around said corner. I felt slightly awkward holding hands with a girl I've known for two minutes, but she seemed determined. She led me around to a set of lockers with a sign above them saying 200-250.

"Yours should be right about...here!" She showed me the locker, which was situated right next to room C130. It was a standard school locker, painted a dark blue color, with vents along the front. I stared again at the papers while Anna looked on enthusiastically. I located the lock combo, and started fiddling with the door. 22, 31, 10. The door popped open, revealing 3 shelves inside, with a mirror and Velcro paneling on the inner door. These were some fancy lockers. I closed it again, as I had nothing to store yet. I turned again to Anna.

"So, what's your first class?" she asked, glancing at the schedule in my hand.

"Err, AP Physics, room C-267, Mr. Jung."

Anna looked at her own schedule, quickly scanning it.

"Ha, I got that too!"

I smile. It was nice that I had a friend the first day of school.

"So, what are the rest of your classes," she continued, staring at her own while asking.

"I've got, after physics, AP literature, AP Calculus, band, senior social studies, and weight training."

I scowled, seeing three AP classes in a row, all in the morning. It was like this school wanted to mentally kill me. Anna laughed.

"Looks like we've got a smarty pants on the loose. I have physics, calculus, and band with you!"

"You have band too? What do you play?" I ask, interested.

"I play flute. I've been second chair my whole life, and it sucks. My sister is the best flute player this school has seen, in like, ever. But if you have band fourth period, that means you're in the wind ensemble with me! How did you get in the top band, anyway?"

I had to chuckle at that. I had been playing the alto saxophone since 5th grade, and had always been top of the section. I just loved the instrument, the sound of it, and how unique it was. My parents saw how much I liked playing, so they got me a professional model in 9th grade, and it was now one of my most prized possessions. It is a Yamaha Custom Z, with black and gold lacquer. I had to admit, it looked pretty sexy.

"I tried out for the band before I left my old school," I replied. "It seems they were in need of an alto player."

"Alto saxophone? That is so cool! The saxophone is awesome!" She lowered her voice, glancing around the halls. "But between you and me, our sax section kinda sucks."

I laugh. "Well looks like I'm here to save the day."

Just then, the bell rings, signaling the start of first period. I follow Anna upstairs to the physics classroom. We enter, finding a good amount of people already meandering about the classroom, chatting. The room was arranged with long, parallel tables instead of individual desks. I awkwardly sit at the back, placing my black Jansport backpack beside me. Anna goes off to talk to some friends, so I decide to fiddle with my iPhone. I see that my parents have left some texts telling me to have a good day and whatnot. Even though I never saw them anymore, it was still nice to see they were looking out for me. A few moments later, a man who I assume is the teacher enters the room. He is a short Vietnamese man, who walks up to the front desk and begins writing on the smart board.

"Morning class," he addresses us, turning from the board, where he has written the class name and his own. "I am Mr. Jung. Welcome to AP Physics."

Anna sits herself down next to me, giving Mr. Jung an amused look. The man had a very heavy accent, and was sort of hard to understand. I had to smile behind my hand as he continued talking. The accent was just ridiculous.

"Now, if you are not in AP Physics, or have not signed up for it, please let me know after I am finished calling roll."

He begins calling out names, with students either raising their hand or saying here. He reaches my name.

"Braden Sanders?"

I raise my hand, acknowledging him. At least I was in the class. There were a few students looking confused as Mr. Jung didn't call their names, as he went through the students alphabetically by last name. He reached Anna next.

"Anna Snow?"

"Here!" she called out cheerfully, waving a hand. Mr. Jung nodded and kept going. Once he was finished, he helped get the students whose names weren't called situated, directing them to their right classes. The rest of the period passed by quickly, as he went over the syllabus and some general rules and guidelines. Pretty soon, the bell rung, and I followed Anna out the door.

"So, could you point me towards room A-23?" I ask.

"Sure. It's the room over by the gym, that way," she said, pointing down the hall.

"Hey, thanks."

"Sure, no problem, see you next period!" she replied, skipping down the hall the other way. I make my own way towards the gym, reading the signs as I pass. Contrary to what I thought, the school was actually laid out in a pretty easy to follow way. I found the English classroom quickly. Entering, I take a seat towards the back again, and pull out my iPhone. The period passes by much the same as physics did, as did AP calculus, although I sat by Anna again. I also sat with her and her friends at lunch, meeting her boyfriend, Kristoff. At first I thought he had a slightly strange name, until he told me that his family was Norwegian and kept very strict to tradition. Once we left the lunchroom, Anna starts dragging me with her towards the front of the school.

"C'mon!" she urged. "Let's go to band! You'll just love our director."

We make your way to the bandroom. Going in, I immediately see that is an extremely nice one. The seats were hard plastic and metal, not the cheap fold up ones, and the music stands were the hard, black metal ones as well. I look around, standing by the door, trying to figure out where to sit as Anna goes off to what I presume are her fellow flute players, when a figure coming through the door causes my heart to stop. It's a girl, but not just any girl. She has long, platinum blonde hair, tied back into a loose braid that hangs down her left shoulder, with windswept looking bangs swirling around on the top of her head. Her lovely, pale face had just a hint of purple and pink eyeliner with black mascara, bringing out the bluest eyes I've ever seen. They were like sapphires, and I could have sworn they even glittered. She was wearing a plain purple t-shirt with black yoga pants, and had a blue backpack. Oddly enough, she had black gloves on. Since it wasn't cold out, I guessed that she might just have a thing about dirt. She was also quite slender, but had the most amazing hips. All I could think was that this was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, period. She went to sit on the left-hand side of the front row, where Anna and her friends were chatting. This reminded me that Anna was still there. I would have to ask her about the girl after class. I was still gazing at the back of the girl's head, as she proceeded to open a book and read. I didn't even notice the director come in, until he coughed rather loudly. I turned swiftly, finding him staring at me. He looks down at the papers on his director's stand.

"Ah, Braden, our new alto player," he says with a warm smile. "You can sit over there, in the middle of the second row. That's the rest of our sax section. Make yourself at home."

I proceed to go to my designated spot, finding what seemed to be my section trading Yu-Gi-Oh cards. I didn't even know those things still existed. As I sat, the director started in on his speel, and I had an opportunity to look at the girl again. She had closed her book to watch the director, a slightly interested look on her face. I could tell she had heard this speech a few times now, as she quickly became bored, and began playing with the end of her braid. Anna was seated next to her, who noticed me staring. She gave me a quick wave, which I returned. Unlike the rest of the day, this period seemed to drag on much longer than the rest. When the bell finally rung, the blonde girl swiftly got up, leaving the room before any of us had even stood. I made my way over to Anna, nervous and excited about the question I was going to ask. She had her back to me, talking with one of her friends.

"Hey Anna," I said, walking up to her.

"Oh, hey Braden!" she said, turning. "How'd you like your first period of the Arendelle Wind Ensemble?"

"It was pretty good. I would rather play than listen, though."

She laughed. "Don't worry, that'll start up in the next couple of days. Anywho, I saw you staring at Elsa."

"Who?" I ask innocently, though knowing full well now who Elsa was.

"Elsa Snow, my sister." I kept the blank look on my face, trying to cover my embarrassment. Anna grinned knowingly.

"You like her, don't you?" she asked, poking my chest.

"What? No I just, err, wait, she's your sister?"

"Yeah, she's my sister. She's usually pretty shy around people, but I can assure you, she's the warmest, gentlest, nicest girl ever!"

I somewhat doubted that, as Anna certainly was warm, gentle, and nice. The blonde, Elsa, certainly didn't look that way.

"Hey, why don't you meet her! She could seriously use a friend and she's scared of everybody in school. Maybe somebody new could change that!"

"What? I, um, no, no you don't have to, er...ok?" I say awkwardly.

"Cool! You can meet us after school. I'll stay by the main office, and I'll make sure to find Elsa. I've been trying to get her to be more social, and you seem like such a nice guy."

I nod, smiling. Anna runs off to meet her friends, while I dig out the map of the school from my pocket, tracking down my senior social studies class. The rest of the day passes by quickly. I find that the school has a very nice and high tech weight room. That'll be a nice way to end the day. Leaving the gym, I make my way back to the front office. I stop by the desk to drop off my paperwork and signed transfer slips before heading outside. The air was still quite hot, and slightly muggy, but not unbearable. I look to my right, finding Anna and Elsa standing by the basketball court gates and the side of the school. I make my way over, and right as I'm opening my mouth to greet them, a large, silver SUV comes skidding around the corner. It looked to be that somebody was eager to get home, and hit the gas way too hard, and was skidding straight towards Elsa. Anna had been slightly farther away from Elsa, talking with some friends, and noticed the SUV at the same time I did. She yelled out to Elsa to move, but she didn't notice, as she was reading her book and had headphones in. I started sprinting towards her as the SUV picked up speed, skidding along the hot asphalt. It was plain to see that the driver was desperate, but whatever they were doing wasn't helping. I dived, grabbing Elsa's arm and swinging her out of the way, placing myself where she had just been. She fell into Anna, who had been running up as well, causing them both to tumble to the ground. Elsa looked up just in time to see me get hit by the SUV. 


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up to the sound of beeping. Groggy, I look around, seeing that I'm in a hospital. The heartbeat monitor beside my bed is what woke me up, and it starts to beep faster as I remember what happened. My first day of school, and I already almost got killed. Well, not exactly got myself killed, but saved Elsa for it. I look up from the moniter when a nurse walks in to check on me.

"How are you, dear? It looks like your heartbeat spiked for a moment there."

I clear my throat before replying. "Yeah, I just woke up. Um, where exactly am I?"

"You are in the Arendelle General Hospital. You were brought here a couple days ago, pretty beaten up. They said you were hit by a car."

"Wait, who said? Who brought me here?"

"Oh, it was the principal of Arendelle High School and a couple of nice girls. We have contacted your parents, but they weren't replying."

Of course they wouldn't reply. They were on base, and the only phone number the school had was my own home and cell numbers.

"Wait, I've been out for 2 days?"

"Yes, dear. You had to be taken to the emergency ward."

She picked up the clipboard hanging by my bed.

"It seems that you had had a concussion, a broken radius, 3 broken ribs, a cracked collarbone, broken femur, several cuts and scratches, and some major bruising."

I wince, realizing how much pain I was in. The heart monitor starts going crazy again, and the nurse notices.

"Oh my, it looks like you need some morphine. Just hang on for a quick second."

She rushes out of the room, and I could hear desperate voices out in the hall.

"Oh, nurse, is he ok?"

"Yes dear, he has just woken up, but I need to administer some more pain medication."

"Can we see him?"

"Well, only for a few minutes. We have to put him under again for the medication to work."

I heard footsteps leave, and the door opened. It revealed a stressed looking Anna, who immediately rushed to my bedside. She was followed by an equally distraught looking Elsa. My heart monitor was going off again, and I felt like I would be embarrassed to death.

"Oh, no, Braden, you look horrible!" cried Anna, seeing my many casts and wrappings."

"Hey, it's no big deal," I lied, even though I flinched as she touched my arm. Elsa had gone to stand in the corner, looking to be on the verge of tears.

"Is Elsa alright?" I get out, between gritting my teeth. God, it felt like my entire chest was being stabbed, repeatedly.

"Yeah, she's ok. She's worried about you." Anna glances back to her sister, who had proceeded to look down at the ground and fiddle with her braid. "S'matter of fact, the whole school's worried about you."

I groan. Now the entire school knew I had saved Elsa. How charming.

"Tristan is really, really sorry." I stare blankly at her.

"The guy in the SUV." I nod my understanding, proceeding to kink my neck.

"The principle gave him an emergency suspension, but he feels really bad about what happened. I mean, he could have killed you, or Elsa, at the speed he was going."

The nurse returns as the incident is retold, going to do something with my IV bag. At first, the tube in my arm feels cold, but then a feeling of relief washes over my body. The nurse proceeds to try and shoo out the three teenagers, but Elsa swiftly comes up to me before she can. A single tear drips from her sapphire eye.

"Thank you. Truly."

I give her a reassuring smile, before blacking out.

The hospital discharged me two days later, after giving me a list of exercises and regimes to keep to until the casts came off. It was extremely awkward moving around in the casts, as one encompassed my entire left arm while another covered my entire right leg. At least I was right handed. A third cast wrapped around my torso and kept my chest fixated. They gave me a special pair of crutches to use to help me walk, with the left crutch being fitted to my cast. The doctor said that I had to keep the casts on another month, and then return to have the bones reanalyzed. I thanked them, before getting a ride home from Anna. I awkwardly limped my way out into the parking lot, finding Anna's teal Mercedes sitting in the pick-up lane. I opened up the back door to store my crutches before pulling my way into the passenger seat. Anna stared at me concernedly, but helped me get in before going to the driver's side. We set off back into town.

"So, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Ah, I'm alright. These casts are annoying as hell, though."

"Ha, I bet. I had a broken arm once when I was 8, and that alone was torture."

Anna turned to enter the freeway, and I realized I had absolutely no idea where I was. I used my free hand to pull out my phone, where I had my address stored.

"D'you wanna know where I live?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, so where do you live?"

"334 west palm street."

"Oh, I know where that is! You live really close to school."

"Ah no, I forgot about school!" I exclaimed.

"Ah, don't sweat it. We haven't even gotten any big assignments yet anyway."

"No not that, I'm gonna be like the freak of the school now or something."

"Hey, don't you be thinking like that! You are all anybody has been talking about lately. You're gonna come back a hero of Arendelle."

"I hope so. No point in being a sidekick."

Anna giggled at my lame joke. It seems my injuries didn't help to improve my sense of humor. I stared down at my hands, thinking of all the things I couldn't do for the next month or so. No weight training, no saxophone, no video games. I had pretty much turned into a vegetable with brains. While I was brooding, Anna pulled up to my house, putting her car in park. She made to get up, but I stopped her.

"No, you don't have to help me. I fine."

"Well, you could at least get some help out of the car."

No, I can do it. I've gotta learn how to walk with these things anyway, but thanks," I said, picking up my crutches. I made to wave at Anna, but she wrapped me in a hug instead. The girl sure was affectionate. She got back into her car, smiling at me as she drove off. I limped my way up to the door, trying to locate my key. As I was scouring my pockets, the door suddenly opened. Inside, surprisingly, was my mom.

"Oh, honey, are you ok?" she exclaimed, wrapping me in a hug, and glancing at my many bandaged appendages.

"Yeah, mom, I'm fine. What're you doing home, anyway?"

"Had a temporary leave to take care of you," she replied. "Your dad wanted to come home too, but he couldn't convince his commanding officer to let him. But he sends you his love." Even though my parents were distant, they still cared about me, a lot.

I smiled. "Thanks mom."

We went inside, and I noticed a large stack of get well cards on the kitchen table. It seems my unknown pupils had been busy. My mom helped me upstairs to my bedroom, which was still full of traveling gear. I had been in this town for almost a week now, and I've slept in my own bed a grand total of once. My mom helped me sit down, and pulled up a roller chair to sit on herself.

"So I heard what happened last Monday," she said. "How that boy was speeding in the parking lot and you pushed that girl out of the way to save her, putting yourself in the car's path."

"Yeah, well, instincts kinda kicked in, and yeah," I replied sheepishly.

"Oh honey, you were so brave! You didn't even know this girl and you saved her life! She had come by here herself to see you, but I told her you were still in the hospital. She is very pretty, by the way," she said mischievously, giving me a wink.

I blushed, but thought about what my mom had said. I couldn't believe it. Elsa had come here? I must be pretty popular by now. My mom kept talking.

"I knew we should have put you in ROTC. You seem to have picked up your father's heroic tendencies."

That much might well be true. My father had singlehandedly rescued 8 marines trapped inside a tank and an overturned transport truck in Afghanistan while under heavy fire. He had been awarded several medals for the feat, and got his most recent promotion to lieutenant colonel. I was seriously proud of my dad, but I had to admit I had never been interested in joining the military.

"Thanks mom, but it was nothing really. It just seemed like the right thing to do."

"Well, I'm proud of you. Would you like anything before I have to go back to work?"

"No mom, I'm all good. I'll just sit here and watch TV or something."

"Alright. Call if you need anything, alright? And call 911 if you start feeling any pain or anything, ok?"

I nod. She gives me a hug and goes back downstairs. I hear her car leave, and I lay back down onto my bed. Exhausted, I quickly fall asleep.

The next day at school, I do indeed receive what seems like a hero's welcome. Many people come up to me, introducing themselves and asking how I am, or to congratulate me on my feat in the parking lot. I feel overwhelmed, and try to remain inconspicuous. But this proves to be impossible with my giant casts and crutches. I am able to make my way through my first 3 periods. When I go up to the teachers to ask for any work I missed, even they seem impressed with what I've done. After 3rd period, I make my way into the lunchroom. I notice Anna waving me over to her table, but I smile, shaking my head. I gesture with my head over at Elsa, who was sitting alone at a table on the far side of the lunchroom. Anna sees what I mean, giving me the thumbs up. I make my way over to Elsa's table, and find her reading a book with her headphones in. When she notices me, which wasn't that hard considering how many things were sticking up all over me, she starts, dropping her book. I give her a reassuring smile.

"Hey. Can I sit here?"

She pulls out her headphones. "Yes, of course."

I sit across from her, placing my crutches beside me. I could swear the entire lunch room got about two times quieter.

"So are you ok?" I ask her.

She is staring at my casts, guilt etched onto her face. I'm pretty sure I knew what she was thinking.

"Hey, it's not your fault," I say. She looks to be on the verge of tears again.

"You saved me, pushing me out of the way of that car. Why?" she asked, looking into my eyes.

"Well, it just seemed to be the right thing to do, cause I..." I stop. I probably just screwed myself over.

"Because you what? Want to be a Good Samaritan or something?"

"No, I just didn't want you to get hurt." Her head jerks up at my remark, piecing the details together. I'm pretty sure she gets it now. Now I feel like I'm gonna cry, which would be totally unmanly. "I think I'll go..."

"No wait," she says, putting her hand on mine to stop me. I get shivers as she touches me. Even though she's wearing gloves, her hand was oddly cool. "It's just that, nobody had ever done anything like that for me before. And, I'm just confused on why anybody would want to do anything for me at all." She looks down at her hands, and starts fiddling with her hair again. I blush, knowing full well why I wanted to help her. I didn't know what to call it, but she just intoxicated me.

"I pushed you out of the way, because I can't stand the thought of seeing you hurt." There. I said it. I hoped it was subtle, but I had never been the smoothest talker ever. Hell, I wasn't smooth at all. Elsa looked up at me. I was prepared for her to say something mean, or something out of shock, or maybe slap me or something. I would've understood it, even though it probably would have killed me. But, she didn't do anything along those lines.

"Thank you. You seem really honest, and I like that about you." She gave me a tentative smile, which actually seemed genuine. Well, it wasn't rejection, so I was happy. I realized how horrible my flirting was. I didn't even know if it was flirting. I mean, who flirts anymore anyway? That's just straight up cheesy. Well, I did pretty much save her life, which was a pretty great excuse to flirt. I need to stop with this flirting business. Maybe I should just kill myself now and save myself from embarrassment. Right when the silence was starting to get awkward, Anna came up to us. Elsa quickly broke her gaze with me, and I looked up at Anna.

"Hey Anna, what's up?"

"Well, I wanted to know if you could come over after school today. For a little party. My, erm, parents want to meet you and thank you."

I thought about it for a moment. Sure, it would be awkward, but I could spend more time with Elsa.

"Yeah, sure Anna. I can follow you in my car. That is, after I scope out the parking lot for rogue SUVs." I glance at Elsa, and my heart soars to see that I have elicited a light laugh from her. Maybe my humor was improved by the concussion. Anna laughs too.

"You could be, like, our personal bodyguard."

"Yeah, you could use my body to guard you. That's basically all it's useful for now. I'm pretty much a nerdy plaster covered shield."

Anna laughs again. This girl was just too nice. It was a pleasant change from the stuck up chicks at my last school. Just then the bell rang.

"Oh, c'mon guys, we gotta get to band!" said Anna. She helped me up, handing me my crutches. I was just getting situated when my heavily plastered foot slipped on a piece of plastic on the ground. I was falling backwards, my useless left arm flailing about, when someone caught me. I realized it was Elsa. She had her arms under my armpits and was helping me stand back up. Either I had lost a lot of weight in the hospital, or that girl could lift.

"Thanks," I said, breathless. "Looks like we're even now."

"Not even close. I probably need to catch you 50 more times to make up for what you did."

"Ok, let's meet in the middle. You catch me 25 times, and we'll call it even."

Elsa laughed. "Sure. Sounds like a plan."

As I was getting my crutches back under control, I noticed Anna looking positively delighted that we were getting along. The three of us walked out of the lunchroom and headed towards the band room. Much to my surprise and embarrassment, they walked with me, matching my lumbering pace. I didn't mind too much, since it kept most of my fan club away. We reached the band room, and Anna and Elsa went off to sit in their section. My heart sunk as I saw them pull out their instruments. I was pretty much a bump on a log for the band. With only one functioning hand, playing my saxophone was out of the question. Mr. Pillard didn't seem to mind, though. He pulled me aside before class started.

"How ya doing, Braden?" he asked.

"Uh, I'm doing fine sir, thank you."

"You know, me and the entire staff wanted to thank you for what you did on Monday. An act like that takes guts. And you saved my favorite flute player, so that automatically makes you awesome in my book."

"Thanks Mr. Pillard. It seems like I've got a lot of my dad in me."

"Yes of course! Anyway, heal up best you can. We'll be waiting for our new alto player. For now, you can sit wherever you like and listen, or if you would rather do homework or something, that's absolutely fine with me."

"Ok. Sure thing."

"Good lad."

He returned to his podium while I made my way to the back of the room. I saw several pairs of eyes following my slow progress, making me seem self-conscious. I made myself comfortable, and listened.

"Ok, class, let's start with warm-up number 12."

The band started in on a simple scale exercise. Though there wasn't much technique involved, the tone quality was excellent. As the period progressed, I noticed several things about the band, including that the saxophones were not the best I had seen. But what really caught my attention was the flute section. And not just the flute section, but the lead flute. Elsa's tone soared above the others, its wonderful sound permeating through the song they were playing. I had seriously never heard that good of a sound come out of a flute before. Elsa was just full of surprises.

The rest of the day passed by quickly, and before I knew it, I was standing outside the school. Walking past the office, I noticed the damage done by the SUV. Several fences around the basketball courts were smashed in, as well as a hefty chunk missing from the side wall. It was kind of hard to believe I had been caught in the middle of that. It was probably a good thing I was knocked unconscious on contact with the speeding vehicle. I quickly located Anna and Elsa standing by the main gate, and I made my way over to them.

"So, where do you guys live?" I ask.

"Oh, just up the road a ways. Where did you park?" asks Anna.

"Over there, somewhere," I say gesturing to the left side of the lot.

"Ok, meet us out by the exit. There's a round-a-bout there we can wait in."

I smile and nod, and make my way to my car. It was nice that my mom had come down here to get it. Otherwise, it probably would have melted in the heat. I get in after storing my crutches, swinging into the driver's seat. I had found out this morning that I could still manipulate the pedals even with a mile of plaster wrapped around my foot, and I could easily drive one handed. I pull out and make my way over to the main exit. Off to the side, I see a small roundabout that looks like it's supposed to be used for getting into the tennis courts by the road. Inside sat Anna's Mercedes, and a car I hadn't seen before. It was a cool blue Audi Quattro V6. I had no doubt it was Elsa's car. The color was the exact same as her hair ties (not that I was studying her, or anything). With those cars, these girls must be rich. Anna waves from in her car, and points at the road, then points her hand to the right. I get the idea. Turn right on the road. I give her a thumbs up and she pulls out, followed by Elsa. I can't see her, however, because the Audi had something similar to limousine style tinted windows. I follow the two blue cars out to the road, following them to the right. We drive along the main road for about 5 minutes when Anna signals again to the right. I notice that we had made our way into the rich district of the town, the road lined by sprawling mansions. It looked like a scaled down version of Beverly Hills, which ironically enough was just a half hours drive away. We pulled into the driveway of one of the said mansions, and I gaped. The house was huge. Like, ridiculously huge. We park outside, where there are men waiting by the driveway. At first, I'm confused at what they're doing, but Anna parks and one of the men gets in her car and drives it away. Holy crap, they had their own valets? I too get out of my car, leaving the keys in, and sure enough, one of the men gets in and drives it around the side of the house. I am seriously stunned, stunned enough to not realize I left my crutches in the car. Anna and Elsa notice this, hurrying to help me walk.

"What happened to your crutches?" asks Anna.

"Accidently left 'em in the car. Do you guys seriously live here?"

"Yeah," says Elsa, helping me up to the doorstep. "Our parents were really rich, and they liked being extravagant."

"Wait, were?"

Elsa looks suddenly sad. "Yes. Our parents died in a car crash 10 years ago."

She goes silent, as does Anna. I feel extremely guilty, and wanted to just sink through the ground and disappear.

"Jeez, I'm sorry. Really I am. I didn't know."

Elsa nods. "Yeah, it was hard on us. But Kai and Gerda, our parents' best maids, have raised us well. They practically are family, but can be slightly eccentric at times."

We make our way into the house, if you could call it that, and Elsa helps me into a side room where I can sit down. Anna runs off to the garage to get my crutches. Elsa sits beside me, and I have the strong urge to hold her hand. She starts getting teary eyed, and I realize she is thinking about her parents. Great, I had to bring up the worst subject ever right as I got here. By now, Elsa is really crying, and I'm feeling extremely awkward. I tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. She leans into my touch, putting her head on my shoulder. I stay perfectly still as she sobs. I have nothing to say, no words of comfort. She pulls herself together after a few moments, sitting up.

"I'm sorry," she sniffs. "I shouldn't be acting like this. I'm not exactly being a good host."

"No, your perfect," I assure her. "I know what it's like to lose parents too. But in a different way."

She looks up at me, curious. "What are your parents like?"

"Well, my dad is a lieutenant colonel in the marines, and was recently stationed in Afghanistan for 8 months. My mom is a captain in the navy, and is a strategic coordinator. She was away at the same time my dad was, and was somewhere in the Pacific, on an aircraft carrier. Usually, I only see one of my parents for a few weeks every year, and both of them together a few days. It's been hard, but I've made due, learning to care for myself."

Elsa looked up at me, concern etched onto her face. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I don't have enough to call myself an orphan, but it sometimes feels like that."

Just then, Anna returns with my crutches, which she deposits onto a chair. Noticing me and Elsa rather close to one another, she squeals in delight.

"I knew it! I knew you two would be great together!"

Elsa blushes, as do I. This was going to be an awkward evening.


	3. Chapter 3

**Yes, Elsa has her powers in this story. They will be revealed this chapter. Don't forget to comment! Your guys' reviews always make my day.**

Elsa quickly distances herself from me upon hearing Anna's remark, blushing furiously. I look up at the accusing girl, grinning.

"Great, Anna, your input really helps," I say sarcastically.

"Oh, don't mention it," she teases back, going to plop down onto the couch between me and Elsa. Elsa has shrunk back into herself, staring at her hands, while I adjust my leg so that it sits on the table in front of me. Just as I get comfortable, a booming bark echoes through the mansion.

"Holy crap!" I yell, jumping so badly I fall off the couch. Anna jumps as well, but not as badly as me. She looks down at my odd position on the floor and tries to hold back a grin. Embarrassed, I try and right myself. The crutches don't help my efforts as I vainly try and get up. A second bark erupts from just on my left, and I end up hitting my head on the table. I look up to see a large something sprinting towards me, before I'm knocked over by an extremely large Siberian husky. I'm pretty sure that if I were bowling pins, then the dog just got a strike. The husky immediately jumped onto me and mercilessly began licking my face. I'm yelling, Anna's laughing, and even Elsa is smiling. Anna comes to my rescue, lifting the monstrous beast off of my chest. I awkwardly lie on the floor as Anna pulls the dog back. It then proceeds to lick Anna instead, jumping up onto its hind legs to reach her face. In that position, the husky was literally six feet tall, no joke.

"Uh, Anna, who's your fuzzy friend here?" I ask, wiping my face and attempting to sit up.

"This is Olaf, our dog," she says, giving me a hand up, while occupied with holding onto the collar of the mega-sized husky. I successfully make it back onto the couch next to Elsa, and am quickly joined by Anna. Olaf sits down in front of us, panting heavily and wagging his tail.

"Anna, how the heck is he that big?"

"I really don't know. He eats well I guess. I usually give him food from the table when Kai and Gerda rent looking."

"Well that explains a lot. Where'd you get him?"

"We got him at an animal shelter in LA," she replied, leaning down to scratch the husky's ears. "He had been abandoned along with most of his litter, so we got him. It actually was Elsa who wanted a dog. She always said her favorite dogs were huskies, so we got Olaf here. I think he's like 3 or 4 now, I can't remember. But he's practically Elsa's, and my, best friend."

Elsa continued to blush next to Anna. I bent down to pet Olaf as well. His coat was bristly yet soft as well. The husky seemed to be very friendly, and I liked him. As Anna continued to talk about Olaf, I heard a car pull up outside.

"Oh, Kai and Gerda must be home. It's kinda early for today, but oh well."

At the sound of a car, Olaf jumped up and bounded out of the room, going towards the front door, barking the whole way. I mockingly cover my ears.

"How do you stand the noise?"

"Well, usually he's pretty quiet. I guess you set him off today," said Anna, smiling and giving a shrug. The front door opened, and I heard voices coming from the hall.

"Olaf, down boy! Down! Good puppy, there you go. Gerda help me with these bags. Olaf is dragging me down."

"Oh, I see. Here, set those down. C'mon Olaf, let's go outside."

I heard the sound of the door opening, then a scratching sound as Olaf ran down the hall and out the door.

"Here, let's get these bags into the kitchen. Anna, Elsa, we're home!" called a female voice.

"C'mon," says Anna, helping me up. She fetches my crutches and hands them to me. "You should go meet mine and Elsa's, err, guardians. They really want to meet you."

I follow Anna out of the room, with Elsa behind me. I try and take care not to hit anything expensive, which was most of the stuff in the house, with my crutches. I ended up succeeding in getting to the front hall, where two people stood. There was a man and a woman, both who looked to be in their late 40's or early 50's. The man was wearing a modest green suit and tie, and had dark brown hair and eyes. His hairline ended around the middle of his head, leaving a large bald spot right on top. He also had a rather large gut and nose. The woman was on a scale with the man, although slightly shorter. She was wearing a green dress that was of a similar color to the man's, and she had silver hair in a tight bun and a kind face. I limp my way up to them. Anna makes the introductions.

"Braden, these are mine and Elsa's, er, guardians, Kai and Gerda," she states, gesturing to each one. "Kai and Gerda, this is my new friend Braden."

The two smile kindly at me, moving to shake my good hand.

"Very nice to meet you, young man," says Kai. "I would like to thank you for saving Elsa's life last week. From what we heard, you did something very brave and selfless in that parking lot. We didn't have any way to repay you, so we put up the full fee for your hospital bills."

My mouth drops open. "No, no, no" I say. "You didn't have to do that. Or shouldn't have, or, whatever. I can't accept that." I sheepishly glance from Kai to Gerda.

"Why of course we had to do that. It was only fair for what you did for our Elsa. Your mother said the same thing, but we would have none of it. We always repay kindness with kindness."

I nod. "Well, thanks, a lot."

Kai smiles at me. He then turns to Anna.

"Anna, I need your help with some things. We need you to track down Olaf and bring him back inside, then round up the kitchen staff for dinner."

"Sure Kai." She turns to me. "See ya!"

She dashes out the front door.

"Why don't you show Braden around, Elsa?" asks Gerda, as Kai heads down the hall, presumably towards the kitchen.

"Uh, ok," Elsa replies. She gently take my hand and leads me back the way we came. Gerda smiles as we walk away. I feel elated walking with Elsa. It's funny how I could have such an eventful first week. As we reach the hall, I let go of my crutch to reach out and lightly squeeze her hand.

"Elsa, you really don't have to show me around if you don't want to. I'm fine just sitting somewhere."

"Sure. We could go to my room I guess."

She leads the way to the stairs.

"Oh great," I say. I lift up my crutches to pull myself up onto the first step.

"Oh my," says Elsa, concernedly looking at me. "I forgot about the stairs. Um, we could go to-"

"No, Elsa, I got this." I pull my way up the stairs, which happened to be mercifully short, and arrive at the top. Elsa follows, looking impressed. My heart soars seeing her expression.

"Told ya."

"Don't make me push you down the stairs and break your remaining limbs," she teases. "C'mon, it's right here."

She leads me into the second door on the right, revealing a rather large bedroom. There is a queen sized bed in one corner, with a desk opposite it. A large closet is stationed to the right of the bed, and an armchair and table stand to the left of the door. Most everything is blue or of a winter theme. I walk in, admiring the decor.

"I like it. The theme is awesome."

"Thanks. I just like winter."

"Do you get a lot of snow down here?"

Elsa flinches when I say snow. I don't know why, but it looked like she was scared for a moment. But then the look was gone.

"No, not really any snow. Just rain and such."

She sits down on the bed and starts to absently finger the blanket cover. I relinquish my crutches and place them by the door, before making my way over to her. I sit on the bed, and watch her play with the blanket.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

"No, it's just that, oh never mind."

We sit silently for a moment before she speaks again.

"I've just never been this close to anyone before, except for Anna. I've always been excluded or shunned, and have gotten used to being alone. But, I don't know, I just feel safe with you."

I grin, which is just an outside expression of the crazy party I'm having in my head.

"It might just be guilt or something because you saved me, but I just..."

I gently take her hand in my functional right one, scooching closer to her.

"You know, you're the only thing I've liked about this place since I've got here," I say softly. "I've never really been a people person either, and I'm hopelessly awkward. I know how you feel about being alone. I've never even had a sibling or cousin to play with or anything, and I'm terrible at making friends. Most of the time, I just can't seem to connect with anybody. But now, everything's different here. I've already met two wonderful people, who have brought it upon themselves to take care of me. I truly do like you and Anna, but there is something in you that reminds me of myself, and I'm obsessing over that."

I'm mentally punching myself as I say this. What am I doing? She doesn't like me. She's only known me for a week. Now I've completely messed it up. But Elsa doesn't shrug away, like I expected. She sighs.

"I really like you too," she whispers. "I know I shouldn't, but I do. No one has ever cared for me as much as you have."

I lift her chin up to face me, and I stare into her beautiful, sapphire eyes. I lean in, knowing I'm doing another stupid idea, but I can't help it. I gently kiss her. At first, she makes as if to pull away, but then she's kissing me back. Her lips were soft, and slightly cool, and tasted like snow and chocolate. She smiles under the kiss, and I couldn't help but grin as well. I bring a hand up to cup her cheek, and she melts under my touch. I was finally doing what I had been dreaming of for the entire time I was in Arendelle, which actually was pretty short.

We stay like that for a minute, letting ourselves go to show how we truly feel, when a knock sounds on the door.

"Elsa? Are you in there?" came the voice of Gerda.

Elsa quickly breaks away from me, jumping up from the bed, startled.

"Y-yes, I'm here."

"Ok dear, dinner will be ready in a minute."

"Thank you Gerda."

I hear footsteps walking away, and Elsa returns to my side. She looks to be back in her old state of concealment. Wanting to keep the feelings between us alive, I get up, offering my hand. She takes it, and I help her up.

"C'mon, I'm starving," I say with a smile.

She returns it. "Ok."

I grab my crutches before opening the door. I let Elsa go first, following her down the hall and carefully making my way down the stairs. I can't help but notice how amazing her hips are. I wasn't trying to be creepy, but the girl had the body of a freaking model. I'm led to the kitchen where the delicious smell of something was wafting out of the door. I find my way to the dining room, which was adjacent to the kitchen, where Kai, Gerda, and Anna were already seated. I take a seat on the right side of the table, next to Anna. Elsa moves to sit beside me, smiling shyly. I take her hand in mine from under the table, squeezing lightly. Her hands were still gloved, oddly enough. The doors behind me open, and several people in white uniforms file out, holding silver trays of food. The service kind of reminded me of the time when I went to a 5 star restaurant on a cruise with my parents. The kitchen staff set the trays down, revealing large New York steaks, baked potatoes with toppings, green beans, and French rolls. I was stunned at the amount of food, and how good it looked. It was a nice change from what my diet had been lately, which was the college staples of pop tarts, Top Ramen, and Kraft macaroni and cheese. My mom knew how to cook, she was just never home to make anything.

I filled up my plate after watching everybody else fill theirs, and dug in. I was pleased to see that both Elsa and Anna had steak on their plates. They weren't like the weird vegetarian or no-meat diet girls. I was liking this family more and more. The steak was medium rare and cooked to perfection. I was literally lost in the meal until I heard Kai speak.

"Oh my, I forgot the drinks. What would everybody like?" he asked, signaling to a man in a uniform.

Everybody asked for water, except for me and Kai. I asked for a coke while he asked for a Budweiser. The serving man soon returned with our drinks. Mine wasn't even in a can or bottle, but in a glass with ice.

The dinner went along smoothly from there. But I was just finishing my potato when it happened. It was all in rapid fire order. First, Olaf came bounding into the room, jumping onto Elsa, who fell back from the weight of the dog. Her right glove became caught between the table and Olaf, and was pulled off. I moved to help her, but knocked over my glass as I stood up. It crashed to the floor, causing a loud splintering sound. Elsa moved as if to stop it from falling, when Olaf pushed her chair, causing her to fall backwards. The last thing I saw was a flash of white and blue light erupting from her palm, before I was hit in the head by something cold. My vision went black, and I knew nothing more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Good god I'm corny...fluffy cliché moments ahead...**

I groan as I wake up. My head felt like it had been hit by a sack of bricks, then dunked in a frozen lake. At the sound of my grumbling, Anna, who had been sitting in the corner of the room, rushed over to my side.

"You're awake! We were afraid you had been in a coma or something."

"Ugh, what happened?" I asked, groggy.

"Well, erm, Elsa kinda hit you with something, and, well, yeah..." she trailed off.

"What'd she hit me with?"

"Umm..."

The door opened, revealing a worried looking Kai and Gerda.

"Oh good, you're awake," says Gerda, coming over to sit by me. "We feared the worst when Elsa..."

She trailed off as well.

"Ok, what did Elsa do? You guys are acting like she shot me or something."

Gerda glances at Anna, who shrugs.

"He might as well know. He cares for her."

Gerda sighs. She takes my hand in her own.

"Elsa is special, in a way. She was born with this, well, should we say power over ice and snow."

I just stared at her with a blank expression.

"She tends to unintentionally manipulate ice and snow when she is feeling especially emotional, but that's all we know. It's known as cryokinesis."

I give a tentative smile, looking between the family members.

"You're joking, right? 'Cause that's a good one, power over the ice and snow, like she's a superhero or something..."

I stop as I realize no one is sharing in my amusement.

"Seriously?"

"Yes. That's why she never tends to open up to anybody, except for you. Do you know of anything that could have made her overly emotional before dinner?"

I did know of several things that were making her emotional. The memory of her parents, her awkwardness with me and Anna, and then our kiss. Guess it made sense, on an out of bounds level.

"Erm, no, not really."

"Ok then. We should let you rest."

"No wait, where's Elsa?"

"She's in her room. We tried to talk to her but she won't open her door."

I'll be the one to see about that. I start to pull myself out of the bed.

"Where are you going? You need to rest," exclaims Gerda, attempting to make me sit back down.

"I want to go and try to talk to her. Maybe she'll listen to me."

Gerda looks at Anna, who gives her a reassuring smile.

"Oh, alright then. Her room is the second door on the right, down the hall to the left."

I nod, already knowing where her room is. I grab my crutches by the door and make my way to her room. Stopping outside, I knock.

"Elsa? It's me, Braden. I'm fine now, but I think we should talk."

Silence.

"C'mon Elsa, please let me in, I'm not afraid."

Silence, then a quiet sniffling. Great, she's been crying.

"Elsa, please. I want to know that you're ok too."

I hear the soft scuff of footsteps, and the door cracks open a bit. A single blue eye stares out from inside.

"I can't, Braden. What if I hurt you again?"

"I'm positively sure you won't," I say, smiling. "I trust you. And I couldn't live with myself knowing you're hurt too."

The door opens the rest of the way, revealing the rest of Elsa. Or what used to be Elsa. Her clothes are crumpled and tear stained. Her eyes are extremely red and have bags under them. Her nose and cheeks were red as well, and there were tear tracks on her cheeks. Her makeup was smudged, and her hair was disheveled as well. Yet through it all, she still was the most exquisite thing I had ever seen. When a girl is still attractive when she's a mess, you know she's something else entirely. Her hands were gloved yet again, and now I think I knew why.

"Hey," I say softly.

"Hey."

"Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine. But I hurt you again."

"I'm not hurt, I was just sleepy last night," I say, chuckling.

"It wasn't last night. Today is Sunday. You were out for 2 days, and I thought I..."

She stopped as fresh sobs wracked her body. Great. I had been out another two days. I was starting to wonder if I was going to be unconscious for most of my time in Arendelle. I immediately went into her room, and guided her over to the bed, helping her and I to sit down. She leans against me, arms wrapped around me, continuing to sob.

"Shh, shh, it's ok. I'm perfectly fine. It wasn't your fault," I reassure her, softly stroking her hair. "It's ok."

After a few minutes, she sits up, staring into my eyes with her own. I gently wipe away the tears on her cheeks while supporting her back with my bandaged left arm.

"Thank you. I don't deserve this kind of treatment. I'm a monster."

I immediately sit up to look at her, holding her shoulder with my right hand.

"Now you listen to me. You are not a monster. You are anything but. You are the sweetest, gentlest, and most beautiful girl that I have ever met. Don't ever think that you could ever be a monster."

She stares at her hands.

"But I have a curse that always seems to ruin my life. Somehow I was born with cryokinesis, and it always messes everything up."

I take her hand in mine. She attempts to pull away, but I hold fast.

"Seriously, controlling ice and snow is probably the coolest thing I've ever heard of. And that's just the notion of it. Finding out it's real just makes it better."

I squeeze her hand. "Will you show me?"

She raises her head, suffering and guilt swimming in her eyes.

"I can't. What if it goes wrong and I hurt you again?"

"Elsa, you probably wouldn't even be able to hurt me even if you tried. You're just not like that."

I hold up my cast covered left arm.

"This was my choice, not yours. And that incident at dinner was just an accident. I'm perfectly safe."

She nods, and a small smile appears on her lips, making my heart jump a little. She carefully pulls off her glove.

"You can't tell anyone, alright?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die, I won't."

She nods, sucks in a breath, then let's a miniature snow flurry erupt from her hand. I gasp in amazement. The flurry flies and dances around the room, leaving a trail of frost in its wake. This can't be real, but it was. I could feel the chill in the air from the snow. Elsa grins at my reaction. Before anything else happens, she dissipates the flurry and swiftly pulls her glove back on.

"That's cryokinesis."

"That. Was. Awesome!" I exclaim. "You truly are something else, Elsa. In the best way."

She smiles, accepting my compliment. I put an arm around her shoulder.

"C'mon, let's go tell the others you're alright." 

-x-

The next Monday was completely different from last Monday. For one, I didn't get hit by a car, which was a plus. For two, everybody was still complimenting me about what I did last Monday. And for three, Elsa Snow was holding my hand as we walked to class. It seems that I shared my first 4 classes with her. I didn't realize this, since the only days I had been in school were last Monday and Friday, and both those days Elsa had things she had to do for the first half of the day, which I found to be ironic. Either way, I was thrilled that we shared more than half our classes.

The first few days that I was back in school, I tried to find out as much about Elsa as I could. It was pretty much complete interrogation on my part. But I succeeded, finding out everything from her favorite color to her first phone to the time she slipped on one of Anna's toys and fell down the stairs when she was 7. We were careful not to bring up anything that could lead to Elsa's powers, however. I found out Sunday that Anna, Kai and Gerda, her doctor, and me were the only ones who knew about her 'condition'.

What I noticed, however, were how some of the other students were staring at me as I sat and talked with Elsa. I found out quickly that she had always been shy (for obvious reasons, at least to me), and never really had any outside contact, instead preferring to be with herself or Anna. Throughout her junior high and high school career, I was amused to find out that she had been asked out more times than she could count. It had earned her the nickname Snow Queen, the girl with the frozen heart. I felt elated as I was the one to completely disprove that name. 

-x-

"Snow Queen, I kinda like that," I say, teasing her. We were sitting in my car, sharing a milkshake at a little diner down the road from the school.

"Will you quit it with that name? You know I hate it."

"K then, Snowflake."

Elsa groaned. Ever since we had been 'dating', I had come up with a different nickname for her every other day. Anna supported my hobby, much to Elsa's dismay.

I couldn't believe I had already been in Arendelle a full month. The days were beginning to meld together, and I couldn't get enough time alone with Elsa. I put my arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer.

"Wonder what your next name should be?" I ask playfully.

"How about, say, Elsa?" she sarcastically responds back.

"Maybe, love of my life?"

"Oh, stop it you," she exclaims, blushing. I pull her in for a kiss, which she gladly accepts. Right when it was starting to get heated, my phone buzzed. She pulled away, looking at my pocket. I pull out my iPhone, to see a text from a number without a name.

Mr. Sanders, you have a checkup with Doctor Smith at Arendelle General Hospital today at 3:30pm.

I look at the clock. 3:15.

"Ah crap!"

"What?"

"I have a doctor's appointment in 15 minutes," I grumble. "Wait."

I stare at my cast covered left arm, remembering what the doctor had said. After a month, I need to come in to have the bones reanalyzed.

"Elsa, I think they're gonna finally take off these stupid casts!"

Elsa gasps and smiles. "Congratulations! You'd better go, don't want to be late."

She smiles and gives me a quick kiss before getting out of my car and heading for her own next to mine. I wave at her, before pulling out. I bring up directions on my phone while waiting at a red light, and then make my way to the hospital.

I arrive with 2 minutes to spare. The nurse at the desk sends me to one of the X-Ray rooms. After 20 minutes of scanning, the doctor confirms my broken arm, leg, and ribs have fully healed, as well as my cracked collarbone. He leads me to an operating room, where a machine cuts away the casts that had plagued me for the entire time I was in Arendelle. I walk out of the hospital feeling practically reborn. I rush home, excited to tell Elsa the good news.

The next day at school, my first 3 periods pass by uneventfully. But at lunch, Elsa and I are dismayed to find our usual lunch spot, the band room, was closed, since Mr. Pillard was home sick. We were forced to go the lunchroom. We ended up sitting with Anna and her friends. Even though Elsa had become comfortable with my presence, she was still nervous around other people. I sat beside her, holding her hand, letting her know I was there for her. My claim was to be put to the test a moment later.

"Well well well, look who showed up to the lunchroom. The band geek and the plaster kid."

Another senior had approached our table, flanked by two other guys. He was tall, with gingerish auburn hair that ran down to sideburns on the side of his face, which was angular and handsome. I immediately recognized him-Hans Westfield. He was the captain of the Arendelle football team, which currently was undefeated in the area. His two cronies were his top receiver and kicker, John and Cooper. Hans was one of the most popular kids in school, and not just from his status and looks. He was pretty much the lead school bully, picking on freshmen and sophomores just to show he could. But now it seemed he was branching out to his fellow seniors.

I turn to look at Hans, but remain seated.

"I didn't know it was douchebag season already. Better go get my rifle and sight up, 'cause I've got three plump assholes standing right in front of me," I say with a smirk.

Hans glares at me. He casually walks around me and smacks the book Elsa was reading out of her hands, causing it to fly across the table and land on the floor. I immediately stand up to face him, much to Elsa's horror.

"Go pick it up, and hand it back to her, nicely," I growl through gritted teeth.

Hans puts his hands up in mock surrender.

"Ooh, looks like we've got a badass over here. C'mon kid, whatchou got?" he taunted, patting his own chest, inciting a challenge.

"I'm not gonna waste my time with a bunch of amateurs. Now I'm gonna ask again nicely, one more time. Go pick up Elsa's book, and hand it to her nicely."

"The snow bitch can't do it herself?" leered Hans.

I'd had enough. I punched him in the nose. He stumbled back against his cronies, holding his nose.

"You liddle shid!" he shouted, still holding his nose. He let go and flexed his arms. "You're gonna pay for that."

I just calmly stand my ground. Several people had already surrounded us, eager for a fight. Elsa and Anna look on in horror. Kristoff looks excited.

Hans lunges at me, but I sidestep and he goes flying into another table, his head landing on a plate of spaghetti. Embarrassed and infuriated, he comes at me again, but I trip him, causing him to barrel into John instead. They go down in a tumble of limbs. The other guy, Cooper, puts up his fists and swings at me. I catch his fist, and use his momentum to make him hit himself. He stumbles back, holding his jaw. I'm still standing calmly, not having even moved. Hans, having righted himself, comes at me with John right behind him. I catch Hans' fist and make him punch John in the face. I then proceed to get Hans in an armlock, pushing down on his back and yanking his arm up towards my chest. He screams in pain.

"You know, for a football player, your scream makes you sound like a cheerleader."

"I'll kill you, you little shit."

"Good to know. Will that be happening before or after I break your arm?"

I strain his arm again to make a point. As I'm doing so, Cooper had come up behind me, trying to get me in a chokehold. But I heard him coming, and kicked backwards as I heard him lunge. I make contact, and he falls to the ground, howling. Apparently I got him in the crotch. I turn my attention back to Hans.

"So, will you go get Elsa's book and give it to her nicely?"

"Never!"

"Very well."

I shift my grip, and instead of breaking his arm, I pop the joint from its socket. Hans screams in pain again, falling to the ground, clutching his arm. Just as I'm about to turn around and return to Elsa, John comes up behind me, a metal lunch box in his hand. He swings it at my head, but I duck, grabbing onto his arms. I kick him in the gut, causing him to bend over as the air rushed out of his lungs. While he's down, I release him. He makes his way to his feet, coming after me one more time. My back to him, I swiftly turn, my momentum aiding my punch. It connects with his cheek, and he crumples to the ground, unconscious. The crowd is staring at me, dumbfounded, until somebody starts cheering. Then, all of a sudden, they're all cheering. I smile, holding up my fist. The cacophony goes on for some time, but in the midst of it, I can't find or see Elsa. Then, all of a sudden, the cheering breaks off, turning into gasps and shrieks. I turn to see what made everyone's mood change, and what I saw made my heart stop. Standing by the lunchroom door were 2 men in multicam BDUs, with full battle dress, and a man standing in between them. The man was covered in medals and cords over his black and blue officer's uniform. Knowing all about military dress from my dad, I would recognize a colonel anywhere. The man strides up to me.

"Braden Sanders, my name is Colonel Simms. I must speak to you, urgently."


	5. Chapter 5

**Kind of a short chapter, but it's sort of sad and has some fluff. So yeah. Enjoy!  
**

Astounded, I look back at the onlookers. Hans and his cronies had bolted, and the rest of the lunch crowd was staring between me and Colonel Simms. I looked farther back, and saw Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff standing by the far door. I wave to them. Anna tentatively waves back, but Elsa and Kristoff appear to be in shock. I flash them a reassuring smile before turning back to the colonel.

"Yes sir. I'll come with you, but I'll be missing 4th period."

Colonel Simms put a large hand on my shoulder, guiding me away, towards the outside entrance.

"That's alright, son. I've already informed your principal, but you will have to come with me to a more private location."

I followed him outside, flanked by the two men who had come with the colonel. They carried pistols, but no rifles. Based on their outfits, I realized they were marines. And from their patches, I saw that they were in the 107th division, the aerial unit my dad was a part of. It felt like lead dropped into my stomach.

We approached a tan military jeep parked outside, with a third marine in the driver's seat. The colonel got into the back seat, motioning for me to join him.

I complied, and the two other marines waited outside, the driver getting out and joining them. The colonel and I were left all alone in the soundproofed jeep.

The colonel sighs, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Son, do you know who I am?"

I stare at him for a second, trying to see if I could identify his face.

"No sir, I don't know who you are."

"John. You can call me John."

I nod, a confused look on my face.

"Son, your father and I, we fought in Afghanistan together. He was my first trainee, back when I was a captain, and he a private. We ran 27 missions together. I was one of the men he helped out of the tank just last year. He has been my dearest friend for over a decade."

The colonel, John, stares at the floor of the jeep. I suddenly remember his name, John Simms. My dad had talked about him on occasion. I watch him, waiting for him to go on. He does, and speaks in a fast, quiet monotone.

"Derek Sanders, along with his entire platoon, was reported KIA this morning during a surprise Taliban raid on one of our munitions stations. His body is yet to be found."

I stare at him, my mouth agape. I knew my father was in Afghanistan, but he said he wasn't in any kind of danger at the US base. Why he was at a munitions station I had no idea. But that wasn't what pervaded my mind.

"M-my dad's, dead?" I ask.

John silently nods.

My head tried to grasp the thought of my dad being gone, but my mind wouldn't accept it.

He's fine. It's a joke. He's not gone. Maybe they got the report wrong.

My subconscious was trying to make sense of the situation, to put it into a form I could accept. But in my heart, I knew it was true. Silent tears begin to pour from my eyes. I knew my dad loved me, but work always came first. Whenever he could, though, he would try and spend as much time as possible with me and mom when he was home.

The colonel didn't know what to say or do, so he just let me be. After a few moments, when I was able to pull myself together to speak, I asked another question.

"A-and my mom?" I choke out.

"She is currently stationed at the naval base outside of Los Angeles. She does not yet know."

I stare at my hands. What would my mom think? What would she do? I look back at John.

"Are you going to tell her?"

"A telegram was sent to her office 15 minutes ago. She will know soon enough." He paused. "That is all we know, for now. My deepest sympathies, son, he was a great man."

"Thanks for telling me, I guess," I mumble.

"Would you like me to take you home? There is no shame in wanting to be alone at a time like this."

I have the slight urge to go home, but I didn't want to be alone right now.

"No, I'll go back to class, because my car's here," I lied. Right now, I just needed someone to talk to. And that someone was Elsa.

"Alright son."

He patted me on the back. I opened the door, and the three marines snapped to attention as I appeared. As I passed, they saluted me. I didn't know why they did, as I was not a member of the military, but they did it anyway. Maybe because my father was part of their regiment.

I nodded to them, unable to talk as I looked at their stoic faces. These men knew my father, too.

I made my way back into the cafeteria as the jeep pulled out, leaving the school. I entered to find the room deserted. It was 4th period now, so everyone had gone to class. And that meant Elsa and Anna were in band. I made my way to the band room, shuffling my feet as I stared at the floor. As I neared the classroom, I could hear instruments playing. They were still doing warmups from the sound of it. It reminded me that today was supposed to be my first day of playing in the Arendelle High Symphonic Winds. But under the circumstances, that wasn't going to happen.

I entered the room, and everybody looked up to stare at me. Since band was 4th period, the majority of its students all had the same lunch, so they had witnessed my fight with Hans and my military visitors. Mr. Pillard looked up from his music to acknowledge me.

"Oh, Braden, good to see you, we were just..."

He stopped as he saw the look on my face.

"Can I speak to Elsa, alone?" I ask, not even looking at him.

"Why yes, of course."

He looks over at Elsa, who immediately sets down her flute and runs to my side. I lead her out the door as the room erupts into whispers. I hear Mr. Pillard silencing them.

"Hey, back to it, class."

The band goes into another warmup. I feel grateful towards Mr. Pillard that he didn't press for any details or explanations.

I lead Elsa and myself down the hall, sitting us down on a bench by the front entrance. She stares at me concernedly.

"So, are you ok?" she softly asks.

I look up to stare into her eyes. I don't know why, but her eyes always seem to rejuvenate me. Sheer beauty tends to do that to a lot of people.

"No, not really."

I pause for moment, trying to gather my thoughts.

"That man who came to speak to me was a friend of my dad's. He came to tell me that this morning, my dad..."

I nearly choke.

"My dad was killed in action."

Elsa gasps, her handing going to her mouth.

"Oh Braden, that's terrible!" she exclaims, wrapping me in a hug. "Is there anything I can do?"

"A hug was just what I needed. I didn't want to be alone. I needed you," I say, putting my own arm around her shoulders.

She rests her head on my shoulder.

"I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. Just you being here has helped immensely."

We sit like that for a few minutes, as I try and calm myself. I look over at her, and my heart breaks all over again as I see that she's grieving as much as I am. She doesn't even know my dad, but she feels just as bad as I do just because he's someone close to me. I lean over and gently press my forehead to hers, breathing deeply. She leans her head up, and our lips softly meet. It isn't a passionate kiss, nor is it a frenetic, lustful one. Instead, it was filled with tenderness and love, repairing my ripped up heart. The kiss starts to become more heated, and I'm afraid that it could go too far when my phone buzzes.

We break apart, both looking at my jeans pocket. I pull my phone out, seeing that its a text from my mom.

Hey honey, I just wanted to let you know that since you're all better, my commanding officer wants me to return to Pearl Harbor. I wish I could stay home with you, but it seems that whatever they need, it's urgent. I'll be gone for a few weeks, so are you ok with staying at home alone? I left some money on the counter for food, I hope it's enough. Anyway, I'm so sorry I can't give you a personal goodbye, but I have to keep telling myself you're all grown up now. Be back soon! 3

I stare at my phone, unable to comprehend what was being said. Eventually, my mind wraps around it and I realize my mom still didn't know about my dad. She would find out just as she was being shipped off back to Hawaii. I debated with myself whether or not to tell her, but I didn't think I had the heart to. Instead, I type in a reply.

I'll be fine here, mom. Thanks for the money. See you soon!

I sent it, and shut off my phone as fresh tears begin falling from my eyes. I wanted it to appear that I didn't know about dad, so she wouldn't worry.

"What is it?" asks Elsa, gently stroking my back.

"My mom is going back to Pearl Harbor, and she doesn't know."

Elsa's eyes go wide.

"Will she be alright?"

"I think so. My mom's strong, she can make it through. She knew the dangers of marrying a marine, but I don't think she would have guessed them to happen to dad."

Elsa realized what this meant for me.

"But, now you'll be all alone."

I nod.

She steels herself, wanting to help you more than she wanted to conceal herself.

"Come stay with me and Anna. You don't have to be alone and deal with this yourself. We could easily help take care of you."

I look up at her, trying to see if she was serious. But her face was completely honest.

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course, I..."

She stops. She goes on at a whisper.

"I love you."

I wrap her in a hug again, kissing her forehead.

"I love you too. Always have, always will."


	6. Chapter 6

**Review, Favorite, Follow, that sorta stuff. Though reviews always make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside **

We eventually return to band, where I sit quietly in the back. Mr. Pillard doesn't complain or press, and I feel grateful towards him. At the end of the period, I pull Elsa aside before she leaves.

"Hey, what's up?" she asks, rubbing my arm.

"I think I'm going to go home and get my stuff now. I'll meet you in the roundabout by the tennis courts when school's over."

"Ok. If you need anything, call me or Kai and Gerda. They can help."

I nod, and she gives me a light kiss before going off to her AP Government class. I shoulder my backpack and head the opposite direction to the main office.

As I pass people in the halls, whisper sessions flare up, mainly from people who witnessed the scene in the lunchroom. I was just getting more poplar by the minute it seems.

Entering the office, I see Mrs. Riley and Principal Gates talking at the desk. Both women look up as I enter.

"Oh, Braden, how are you?" asks Mrs. Riley nicely.

"I'm ok, Mrs. Riley. I just need to head home early today. Mrs. Gates will know why," I reply in a low monotone.

I look at the principal, who is staring at me with a saddened expression.

"That's fine, Braden," she says. "I'll tell the attendance office not to mark you absent. I hope you'll be alright."

I nod.

"Thanks Mrs. Gates. See you."

I head out the outside entrance, locating my car. I get in just as my emotions begin to return. I punch the wheel in my frustration, tears pouring from my eyes. Why did he have to be killed? Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?

I suck in some deep breaths, turning on the auxiliary power and rolling my window down. I press my palms against my eyes, and hold them there until I start seeing stars. This was an old remedy I found to help when I was younger. And it seems it still works as my tears fade away. I clear my head, and turn on the radio. It starts blasting Savior by Rise Against, one of my favorite rock bands. I turn up the volume before pulling out and heading home, the music helping to keep me distracted. I sing along as I drive, not caring about the people staring as I pass. I make it home as the song ends, pulling up into the garage. Turning the car off, I slump back in my seat. My phone then suddenly begins to buzz. It wasn't the single buzz I get from a text or notification, but a series of buzzes, which meant a call. I didn't want to talk to anybody right now, but I pull my phone out anyway. I look at the screen, which says 'Call from Mom'. It's still buzzing, but I don't have the courage to slide the screen and answer. A few moments later, my phone goes still. Then, it rings again, again saying 'Call from Mom'. I steel myself, and answer.

"Hello?"

My voice comes out scratchy and flat. I clear my throat.

"Hello?"

"Braden? Are you there?" came my mom's voice. Hers sounded exactly like mine did, which meant she had been crying too.

"Yeah mom, I'm here."

"I saw you were at home, because of the notification. Oh honey, are you ok?" she asks, her voice shaking.

My lip begins to quiver at the sound of my mom.

"Y-yeah mom, I'm o-okay, for now. You got the news?"

"Yes. D-dispatch just came through, and the telegram was in it."

She goes silent, and I can hear sobs coming from over the line. My eyes begin to tear up again.

"I can't believe he's gone!" she cries.

"I know mom. I already miss him," I get out, my voice already going gummy. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Y-yes, I hope so. H-he's in a better place now, away from the war. He would want us to be strong for him."

I nod to myself, knowing exactly what my father would say.

"Listen to me son, you're going to get through this no matter what happens. That's what we have to do, push on when things get rough, and move on with life. I know you don't like it, that it's not fair, but you'll have to deal with it. Don't let the bad in life get in the way of the good, because in the end, it always works out for the best. I know it does."

"Yeah, he would. We're gonna get through this, mom. I know we will."

"Alright, Braden. That's what we'll do. Push on, and keep on charging."

That's my mom alright, pulling out my dad's platoon motto.

I smile to myself, the tears drying up.

"I love you mom. Be safe."

"I love you too, honey. We'll be alright. For him."

"For dad."

"Oh, I almost forgot, I have bad news."

"Not more bad news, mom."

"I know honey, I hate it too. But the admiral of the Pacific fleet has ordered all hands to the Moshini outpost, off the coast of Japan. I won't be home for what looks like two months now."

I sigh.

"That's alright mom. Do your job, I'll be fine here."

"But honey, you'll be all alone. I could send you plane tickets to go live with Grandma..."

"No, mom, I want to stay here."

"Oh, is it because of that girl I've seen you with?"

"Mom!"

She laughs slightly, and I feel uplifted that we're both in better moods.

"She's the girl you saved right? Elsa?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm happy for you. And I trust you'll make good decisions."

I blush, and am inwardly glad that I'm talking to my mom on the phone. I have no doubt she would have winked at me.

"Thanks mom. She's like the best thing that's happened to me in a long time, which helps the fact that I'm dealing with the worst thing that's happened to me in a long time."

"I'm glad. I love you honey, and don't forget that I'll always be there for you."

I hear the sound of a kiss, and the line goes dead. I sit back in my seat again, staring at the ceiling.

"Bye dad. We'll be strong for you, I promise."

I squeeze my eyes shut, the open them to find just the grey fabric of my car. I get out, and go to unlock the garage door. Entering the house, I'm faced with the family photos now lining the walls. I stare at the ones with my dad in them, searing his face into my mind. After a while, I go into the kitchen, and get a glass of water. I notice an envelope on the counter that had 'Braden' on it in my mom's handwriting. I open it up, to find a stack of 15 100$ bills in it. Guess my mom really didn't want me to starve. I tuck it into my back pocket, intending to give it to Kai and Gerda, so my stay won't trouble them.

I proceed upstairs to my bedroom, which I had tidied in the past month. Sighing, I pull out my suitcase from the top shelf of the closet and open it up. I then proceed to stuff all of my clothes into it from my dresser. Luckily, my mom had done the laundry before she left, so a pile of fresh clothes was waiting by my door. I pack those as well. I then grab my gym bag from under my bed. Since I couldn't work out the past month due to my casts, it was empty and absent any smells. I fill it with my laptop, iPod, iPad, chargers, books, and Xbox. Completing that, I head to the bathroom, and fill gallon baggies with my toothbrush, toothpaste, soaps, and shampoos. I throw those into my suitcase, and close both bags. I lug them back downstairs, and leave them by the garage door next to my backpack.

I sit in the kitchen, looking around the spotless room. No doubt my mom had cleaned before leaving, which was a good thing as I wouldn't be here often for a few months now. I glance at the time on the stove, and see that I still have an hour until school was out, and I could meet Elsa. So to occupy myself, I go to my gym bag and pull out my iPad, opening Safari. I click on my bookmarks and open FanFiction, picking up my spot from the last story I had been on. I had been reading Skyrim FanFics mostly, and had been reading one lately that was a crossover, written by a guy called RaymanK16. I lose myself in the story until the grandfather clock in the adjacent room goes off. I look at the stove again, realizing it's already 2:00. School will be out in 5 minutes. I stow away my iPad and load my car with my bags, before heading back to the school. I pull into the roundabout, and only have to wait 5 more minutes until a familiar Audi and Mercedes pull up behind me. The Mercedes flashes its lights, so I put my car in drive, and pull out, heading for the Snow's mansion.

We park and unload our things ourselves, as today was Wednesday, the staff's day off. Heading inside, we are met by an excited Olaf, who proceeds to excessively lick all of our faces. Shaking him off, we go upstairs to one of the guest bedrooms. For some reason as we go Anna keeps looking at me funny, but I just avert my gaze. The bedroom was larger than my bedroom at home, and it also had its own bathroom. That was good, since it would eliminate any awkward bathroom sharing situations. We deposit my stuff in the room before heading back downstairs and sitting in the living room. Elsa sits right next to me on the couch, and Anna goes and plops down onto the adjacent folding chair.

"So, Braden, why are you staying with us? I mean, not like I mind, just wondering."

I glance at Elsa, who was biting her lip.

"You didn't tell her?"

"I didn't have the chance."

I sigh, looking back at Anna.

"Anna, I found out this afternoon that my dad was killed in action in Afghanistan this morning, and that my mom had to go away to take care of some urgent work business in Japan."

The words tumbled out of my mouth extremely quickly, as if they burned my tongue, which in a way, they did. Anna was staring at me with her mouth agape. Realizing she's gaping, her mouth snaps shut.

"Jeez, Braden, I'm sorry to hear that."

I nod, staring at the floor.

"That just sucks. Your dad sounded really awesome, and I would have loved to meet him. Someone so brave and respectable is bound to be amazing."

I smile a little bit. Leave it to Anna to improve a hopeless situation. I sit back farther into the couch, putting my arm over my eyes.

"Today just hasn't been working out well for me," I groan.

Elsa moves closer to me and puts an arm around my shoulders.

"What can we do to make it better?"

Anna pipes in, her loud voice overbearing Elsa's soft one.

"You already made my day, kicking Hans' ass all the way across the lunchroom. How in the hell did you learn to fight like that?"

I sit up and grin a little, looking at Anna.

"Well, when I was younger, I took a whole bunch of martial arts classes, to help me get fit. My parents were preparing me for a life in the military, but when I turned 16 I decided that I didn't want to enlist. But by then, I'd already had 10 years of Judo, Karate, and Tae Kwon Do under my belt. And it all just kinda stuck."

Anna's is literally jumping around in her seat.

"That's so cool! The way you made Hans and his cronies hit each other was hilarious! Those jerks sure got what was coming to 'em."

We all laugh at Hans' expense, glad to change the subject. We sit around and talk for about 15 minutes when the sound of the front door opening gets our attention.

"Elsa, Anna, we're home!" shouts Kai.

"We're in here!" Anna shouts back. She looks over at me nervously.

"Do you wanna tell them?"

"I guess I have to. I should be ok."

Kai and Gerda walk into the room, followed by Olaf who sits himself down in front of the hearth.

"Oh, Braden, how nice to see you!" exclaims Gerda, surprised.

"Hey Gerda, nice to see you too."

"You look so much better without those casts now. I presume you're all better then?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"So, what's the occasion for your visit?" she asks, going to sit on the couch next to mine and Elsa's. Kai sits beside her, smiling at me.

I grimace.

"I actually wanted to ask a favor."

"Why of course dear."

I glance over at Elsa, who is looking like she might be sick. Anna is shaking her leg and biting her thumbnail.

"I wanted to know if I could stay here for a while, since my parents both, erm, had to, well, leave."

Elsa shakes slightly, and I can't tell if it was a cough or if she was trying to hold back a sob.

"Oh well, that should be perfectly fine. I mean, we have plenty of room. But may I ask, where your parents went?"

I rub my hands together, looking at the floor.

"Well, my mom had to leave on an urgent call to Japan, so she'll be gone for two months. And my dad..."

I choke, tears coming to my eyes. This would be the third time explaining this.

"I-I found out this morning..."

I sniff, rubbing my hand across my eyes. Kai and Gerda look like they know what's coming.

"I found out my dad was killed in action this morning, by a surprise raid."

I choke, bending over and clutching my knees. Elsa is freely crying now, and Anna has her head buried in her arms.

Kai and Gerda are holding each other's hands, looking at us with grief. Gerda stands and goes to sit next to me. She puts an arm around my shoulders.

"There, there, let it out. You're ok. It's a hard thing to deal with, I know."

I sit up, pushing my palms against my eyes again. I clear my throat and rub my nose, trying to pull myself together, again.

"I'm good, I'm good," I say.

I reach over and brush the tears from Elsa's cheeks.

"We're ok."

I look back at Gerda.

"I just didn't want to be alone, you know. To face this alone."

She nods in understanding.

"Of course honey, anything we can do we'll do for you."

She stands up, motioning to Kai to rise as well.

"You know, whenever I feel down, a cup of hot chocolate always cheers me up. Would you kids care for some?"

I nod.

"Yes please."

Elsa nods as well.

"Yes please."

Anna snaps out of her ball.

"Ooh, me too!"

Gerda smiles and leads herself and Kai towards the kitchen. Anna looks over at me and Elsa, suddenly feeling slightly awkward.

"I'll, um, go and, stuff," she mumbles, jumping up and heading out the room. Olaf looks up at her, and rises to follow, leaving me and Elsa alone.

I grin a little at her antics, turning back to Elsa.

"They're all such nice people. You're lucky to have such an awesome family."

Elsa smiles, taking my hand in both of hers.

"Yeah, they are."

I take my free hand and stroke her cheek.

"But I still like you more."

I press my forehead to hers, and she leans up to kiss me, like we did earlier in the hallway. But this time, there were no distractions. No phone calls, no school bells, no time constraints. I kiss her for all my worth, pouring all of my broken feelings out of my heart, replacing them with just Elsa. Her lips were soft and supple, slightly cool, yet warm at the same time. She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me closer, and I rest my own hands on her hips. Her mouth opens slightly, her tongue gently prodding my lip. We fall back onto the couch, her on top of me, our lips still in contact. She sits up, breathless, and I stare into her eyes. They aren't their usual icy blue, but rather a dark smoldering sapphire. She grins, and moves to press her lips to mine again. I put one arm around her back and a hand on her neck, gently coaxing her downward. Our lips battle for control in the heated embrace. All I can feel, see, smell, taste, and hear is Elsa. I'm completely intoxicated by her very presence, and am lost as our affections run wild.

"Hey you guys, I have your...oh my."

Gerda had walked in on the two of us still wrapped around one another. Neither of us had heard her. She seems taken aback at first, but then smiles knowingly. She quietly sets our two mugs of hot chocolate on the table by the couch, before leaving. We never even notice.


	7. Chapter 7

**Next segment for you guys. Don't forget to review...I don't mind criticism either, in fact I welcome it, as long as it's constructive. Enjoy!**

IMPORTANT DETAIL: In this chapter, Elsa and Braden go to see the actual movie Frozen. Now, I know I've already used all the original Frozen character names in this fic, so I'm going to slightly tweak the movie character names. It is an AU after all. This is just so the name matchups won't seem overly coincidental and creepy. I hope this isn't illegal (if it is, don't report me). Anyways, in the AU movie:

Elsa=Ilsa  
Anna=Anne  
Kristoff=Christopher  
Hans=Franz  
Olaf=Oleg  
Kai and Gerda=Kale and Gertrude  
Sven=Svel

The rest of the characters, along with the whole plot, are the same. So yeah, don't hate, I'm just trying to keep it out of the weird and/or creepy aspect of everyone having the same names as in the movie. Physical appearances stay the same though, but the movie characters are CGI'd, while the story characters are real flesh and blood. Alright, with that in mind, on with the story!

The next week passed by blissfully for Elsa and I. I quickly became accustomed to living at the Snow Mansion, and actually enjoyed it quite a lot. For one, the food was always excellent. The house was huge, and very modern. And I was almost always with Elsa. I was still getting over my dad, but it had just become a back thought, one i didn't want to dwell on for too long at a time.

It was late Thursday night, and I was fiddling around on my phone as Elsa was bent over her laptop, madly typing out some essay at the kitchen table. It seems that AP Government was harder than I thought, because that's all Elsa had been working on lately. I had found out early on that Elsa had no real interest in politics. She was just taking the class for the college credit. What she really enjoyed was geometry and architecture. I thought it was awesome that she wanted to design structures and buildings, since it was a better plan than I had. I still had no idea what I wanted to do as an adult.

My phone on my lap, I lean over and playfully tug on her braid.

"Hey!" she exclaims, clutching the back of her head.

I chuckle.

"Hey to you too," I reply, sliding my chair over to hers.

I lift my phone up.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go see a movie tomorrow night."

She perks up, interested.

"Which movie?"

I look down at my phone.

"Well, this new one just came out, that everyone's raving over. It's called Frozen."

She grins.

"I've heard about that one too. When is it playing?"

"Literally, like every half hour."

"Ok. That sounds like fun. We could get some dinner before it too."

I nod. "Sure."

Elsa sits back from her work, closing her textbook and saving her document.

"Well, I've finished my essay for tomorrow. Would you like to proof-read it?" she asks with a smirk. She knew all too well how much I hated social studies.

"Ugh, if you insist."

I pull her laptop over and start reading as Elsa watches on amusedly.

"Congressional something or other does the who what?" I ask, squinting at the screen.

"The congressional autocracy manages the legislative amendments," she supplies.

"Riiiiiight," I mumble. "You know, maybe Kai would be better off for this, 'cause I have no idea what the heck this is talking about."

She giggles, pulling her laptop back to her. I lean over and kiss her forehead.

"Sorry for my political incompetence."

"You're forgiven," she says, playfully shoving me.

"It's not my fault that all I can do government-wise is name the presidents."

She looks surprised.

"Really? Go for it!" she urges.

I take a deep breath, and launch into my sophomore memorization tactic I had used. I had memorized the presidents to the tune of the 'FUN' song from SpongeBob. Yeah, I roll like that.

"Washington and Adams, Jefferson and Madison, Monroe Quincy-Adams Jackson, Van-Buren, Harrison, Tyler Polk Taylor, Fillmore Pierce Buchanan. Then came Johnson Grant Hayes Garfield Arthur Cleveland Harrison, Cleveland McKinley Roosevelt Taft, Wilson Harding Coolidge. Hoover and Roosevelt, Truman Eisenhower Kennedy Johnson Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush, Clinton Bush Obama yeah!"

I finish with a crappy attempt at jazz hands.

Elsa is covering her mouth she's laughing so hard.

"That was very good!" she exclaims. "But you forgot Lincoln."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah. He's after Buchanan and before Johnson. But you got the rest of them right."

I stand up, rolling my eyes, and give her a hug.

"I'll just leave the social studies stuff to you. I'm heading upstairs to take a shower, then I'll probably go to bed."

"Ok. Night."

"Night."

I make my way to my room, undressing and getting in the shower. The hot water is calming on my muscles. I had finally gotten around to actually lifting weights in weight training, and my muscles were protesting after over a month of sitting on my ass. I rub some feeling into my arms and legs, before grabbing the soap.

After my shower, I pull on some boxers and fall into bed, sinking into a deep sleep. 

-x-

The next day passes by quickly for me. Class was relatively simple, and we were all excited for the weekend anyway. I did end up getting some assignments, but they were easy. I was pretty sure I could get them all done in an hour.

In band, Mr. Pillard was ecstatic with my playing. I had only been able to play the past week, but I had easily gotten the parts under my fingers. It felt weird playing my saxophone at first, as I hadn't even touched the thing for over a month, but I gradually got back into the familiar feeling. I was thrilled to finally play with Elsa, whose flute playing I had been obsessing over ever since I met her. Truthfully, the Arendelle Wind Ensemble sounded really, really good. My fellow saxophones were getting better, and followed me as a natural leader.

What Mr. Pillard really liked, though, was my tone. I was playing on a Selmer C** mouthpiece with Van Doren reeds, which made my tone exceptionally warm and dark. Perfect for concert music. I had to say, the only one with better tone than me was Elsa.

At the end of the day, I meet up with Elsa and Anna, along with Kristoff. Anna and Kristoff were planning on going mini-golfing, and had invited Elsa and I. I had regretfully told them we already had plans, which Anna was completely fine with. We split ways in the parking lot, as Elsa and I went to our car on the left side of the lot while Anna and Kristoff went to the right. Lately, we had just been using either mine or Elsa's car, carpooling to school, since we were literally coming from the same place, to the same place, at the same time. Good planning on my part. I jump into the driver's seat of my Mazda while Elsa climbs into the passenger side. Though she loved my car, she included her own personal touch, which was an air freshener entitled 'Winter'. I loved it, since it literally smelled exactly like her perfume.

I had my own additions to the car as well, which were actually forced upon me by my mom and dad. In the trunk I had two sets of handcuffs and a taser, along with a box of pepper spray bottles. Those I was fine with, since they were provided by my mom. My dad's addition was what scared me. In the glovebox, which had a lock on it, was a loaded Beretta M9A1, along with two extra magazines. I had argued with my dad about it several times, but he was set on me having as much protection as possible. I had eventually consented, but had kept it locked in my dresser, somewhere where I thought I wouldn't have to use it. But my mom had put it and the lock into my car when she bought it. Guess that's what you get when you have military parents.

I pulled out into the lot, driving out to the street. We sat in silence the short ride home, and pulled into the driveway, where my favorite valet, Edgar, was waiting.

"Greetings Master Sanders."

"Hiya Edgar. How's it going?"

"Good sir, quite good."

"Alright!"

I get out and help Elsa out as well, pulling our backpacks from the backseat. I hand hers to her and shoulder mine.

"See ya, Edgar."

"Good day, Master Sanders."

He drives off, and we make our way to the door, holding hands.

"You know, your staff are a little too polite sometimes."

She laughs.

"I know, right? Sometimes I can't stand it, and sometimes it's refreshing from the chaos of school."

We go inside, where I am customarily bowled over by Olaf.

"Hey buddy, what's up?" I say, scratching behind his ears as he stands on his hind legs, front paws on my chest. After his usual face lick, he strolls off to find a comfortable place to sit.

We go upstairs and crash in Elsa's room. I fall back onto her bed, sighing.

"Finally, the weekend. It really felt like this week was never going to end."

"Hey, don't mess up my bed!" she exclaims, throwing a pillow at me.

I catch it, pulling it over my face.

"How 'bout you make me?" I tease.

And she does. She slowly walks over and climbs onto the bed, straddling me. She pulls the pillow off of my head, and leans over my face. The first thing I see after the sudden absence of the pillow is two icy blue eyes. Elsa's face is barely an inch away from mine. She closes her eyes seductively and touches her lips to mine for the barest instant. I instinctively lean forward, but she leans back faster. She goes in again for a quick peck, but escapes before I can even acknowledge the kiss. She does this one more time, and I can't take it anymore. She slides off of me and goes to stand by the door, leaning against the frame and smirking.

"If you want it, come and get it."

I do want it. I jump up and go to her, wrapping her in my arms and kissing her deeply. She smiles under the kiss, wrapping her arms around my waist. But as she does, she reaches up and tickles my side. I yelp in surprise, jumping back, and Elsa uses the distraction to push me out the open door into the hallway. I land on my butt, looking up at her disappointedly. She laughs.

"Though I'd love to kiss you all day, I have a date to get ready for," she says, before shutting the door."

I pick myself up, grinning. That had been a good trick. Knowing she's probably going to be in there for a while, I make my way to my room to play some GTA V.

I had just finished an epic cop chase, where I was trying to steer a stolen SUV with no tires through the downtown area with 4 police stars, and had ended up exploding after hitting a gas station, when a knock sounded on the door.

"Braden, are you I'm there?" came the voice of Gerda.

"Yeah, Gerda. Come on in."

She did, and I muted the TV and set down my controller.

"What's up?"

She sat on my bed.

"Just wondering what you and Elsa are up to."

I glance at the clock on my nightstand, which read 4:46.

"We we're planning on going to dinner and a movie tonight. In like an hour."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. Do you need dinner money?"

"No, we're fine, really."

I had insisted on giving the money I got from my mom to Kai and Gerda, but they stubbornly refused to take it, no matter how hard I tried. So I was pretty loaded cash-wise.

"Well, have a good time," says Gerda, smiling and walking back out the door.

Her visit reminded me that I should probably get ready. I jump in the shower and wash the sweat away from weight training. I then get out and rub some gel into my hair, making it look somewhat manageable. I pull on a fresh pair of jeans, a red Affliction shirt, and my black Converses. Feeling refreshed, I leave my room, going down the hall to check on Elsa.

I knock on her door.

"Hey Elsa, you ready to go?"

"Almost. You can come in if you'd like."

I do come in, to find Elsa putting on some earrings. But that's not what I notice first hand.

"Dang Elsa, you look, stunning."

She smiles and blushes. I really do mean it though. She's wearing dark blue skinny jeans, with a light blue spaghetti strap shirt that is almost a dress, as it goes down to her mid-thighs, flaring out like a dress, or maybe a skirt. Over the shirt she has on a white sweater, which only goes down to her navel, and is closed with two buttons. Her favorite black blue gloves are on as well, and some blue slipper like shoes are on her feet. Her hair is in its signature loose braid, with her windswept bangs flowing over the top of her head. She has on a little makeup too, which was odd as she never usually wore makeup. She had on some dark mascara, along with a little purple and pink eyeliner, that really brought out her eyes, along with some light pink lipstick. The earrings she had just put in were small silver snowflakes, which complemented the whole look.

"Now I'm ready," she says.

She grabs her white purse from her bed, swinging it over her shoulder. Going out her door, she grabs my arm, pulling me along.

"C'mon, I know the best place to go eat."

"Ok. So I assume you want to drive."

"Yeah, if that's ok with you?"

"Whatever you want, Els."

We end up taking her Audi, heading out away from town to a little Italian cafe on the outskirts of the city. It's quaint and quiet, perfect. We're seated outside, under a small awning with a view of the LA valley, and are able to see that the sun is just beginning to set. The two person table is covered with a white cloth, and has a candle and single red rose as decoration. Quite romantic. When the waiter comes around, I order a Parmesan crusted chicken breast, while Elsa gets spinach tortellini. The food is excellent, and we eat in silence for a while, watching the sunset.

When we finish, we pay the bill (my treat) and load back into Elsa's car. She's driving again, and I would have offered to drive if I only knew the roads a little better. We head back into town, to the Los Angeles Westpoint Mall, which is home to a giant AMC theater. Parking, we go inside, and stand in the ticket line. I look at my phone to find it's 7:30, and the next showing of Frozen is at 7:45.

While waiting in line, I notice several other teenage guys staring at me. At first I feel self-conscious, thinking that I might look funny or something. It takes me a minute to realize they're staring at Elsa, who is on her phone and doesn't see them. I feel a stab of jealousy, then protectiveness, then understanding. I don't blame them, since if I were them, I'd be staring too. That's how good Elsa looked. And I was the lucky guy currently holding hands with her. I smile to myself as the line moved forward.

Reaching the ticket counter, I look up at the board again.

"Two for Frozen at 7:45," I tell the ticket guy, handing him 25 dollars.

"There you go," he replies, handing me the tickets. He's staring at Elsa too, so I move us along towards concessions.

She looks up from her phone at the change in direction, glancing at the concession line.

"You can't seriously be considering popcorn," she says, tucking her phone away. "We just ate."

"Nah, I just want some candy and a Coke. Do you want anything?"

"Actually, yeah."

She pulls two large Hershey's bars off of the candy rack, handing them to me.

"Chocolate. I should've known," I say, taking the bars.

She smiles knowingly. I pick out some Twizzlers and chewy Sweettarts, setting them on the counter, before ordering a Coke as well.

"That'll be 15 bucks," says the cashier.

My brain is reeling as I hand him the money and pocket my purchases. While we go to our theater, I lean over and whisper to Elsa "I forgot how these places deliberately try and make you broke."

She giggles. "Overpriced is their specialty, dear."

Making our way into the theater, I look around the semi-crowded rows.

"Where do you want to sit, top, middle, or up front?" I ask.

"Top," she replies, heading up the stairs.

We get two seats on the right hand side at the very top row, settling in and opening our candy.

A few minutes later the previews finish and the movie starts. But right off the bat, after a scene with some guys who were chopping ice, a little girl, who I think is named Ilsa, starts playing with her sister, summoning ice and snow into a castle ballroom. I gasp, as does Elsa. She starts shaking, and I lift up the cupholder between us and pull her to me.

"It's ok, Elsa. It's just a coincidence," I whisper in her ear.

"Th-that's cryokinesis!" she furiously whispers back.

I rub her back, calming her down.

"It's alright, it's just a movie. Nobody knows except us, Elsa."

She stops shaking, but remains in her position of almost on my lap, head on my shoulder. I grab one of her chocolate bars, breaking off a piece.

"Here," I say, offering it to her.

She takes it and nibbles on the end.

"Thank you."

I give her a kiss on the forehead. She settles down into her seat, and we turn our attention back to the movie. I notice that the two girls, who I believe are princesses (ahh, Disney), have gone through a time lapse and are now older. The one Princess, Ilsa, looks an awful lot like Elsa too. Similar platinum blonde hair, but in a bun, and the same light skin tone. Based on the profiles, she is slightly taller than Elsa, and her eyes are a darker shade of blue than Elsa's. But other than that, if that Ilsa girl was real, she and Elsa could be sisters. The movie goes on to Ilsa revealing her powers and running away, while her sister Anne and the rest of the castle population sit dumbfounded. I find out that Anne is actually the main character, not Ilsa.

I really like the movie, more than I thought I would. It was funny, heartwarming, and overall just straight up cute. Elsa seemed to enjoy for the most part, but cringed ever so slightly whenever Ilsa's ice powers were used. I did notice that it represented Elsa's life a lot, almost to the point of being creepy. But I dismissed it from my head. The directors probably thought the power over ice and snow was a fantastical idea, something good for a movie.

At the end of it, we walk out to the rendition of the movie's star song, 'Let It Go'. It sounded like the singer was Demi Lovato.

In the hallway, I take Elsa's hand in mine.

"So, how'd you like it?"

"It was really good, actually."

"I thought it was too, for a Disney movie."

I recalled with a shudder being forced to watch Tangled 3 times in a row with my cousins, who were all girls, 5, 7, and 10 respectively. That unfortunate experience that I thought had ruined Disney for me for life was shot down by this movie.

I pull her in for a kiss.

"I had a really great time tonight with you, Els."

"Me too."

We locate where we parked, before getting into the Audi and heading back to Arendelle. Overall, it was a very interesting night for both of us.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry about the lack of updates recently. I've been super busy with life and such. Anyway, enjoy this next, somewhat exciting chapter!**

Elsa and I walked into our first period chemistry together on Monday, talking animatedly about nothing in particular. I noticed that Elsa was rather dressed up, wearing a nice bluish purple skirt and white sweater, her hair in hers, and now my, favorite braid. We sat in our usual seats towards the back with Anna, who was heatedly arguing with a friend about how snowmen could in fact come to life.

The class quieted down as Mr. Jung entered the room, carrying what looked like a beaker of white crystals in his gloved hands. He had his safety goggles on as well.

"Good morning class. Today we will be doing a lab on thermodynamic stoichiometry. I know this is technically chemistry, but it ties into what we are learning about heat conversion energy. The directions are on the front table. You will work in groups of two to three, and I will expect a full lab report at the end of the period. Safety goggles are in the back cabinet. Good luck and have fun," he said, before sitting down at his desk.

The class erupts in a bustle of activity as people move about finding partners. Elsa and I are just fine on our own, but we bring in another guy named Daniel to help, since the group he tried to join already had 3 people. Anna was off working with two of her friends.

Daniel and I went to the back for goggles as Elsa went up to get directions.

"So, you and Elsa, huh?" he says, opening up the cabinet.

"Yeah, that's what it looks like."

"I don't know how the hell you hooked up with the hottest and weirdest senior in school, but you seem to be handling it just fine."

He takes out 3 pairs of ugly looking green goggles and hands them to me. The things were bathed in micro radiation to kill germs, but I doubt they had been physically cleaned anytime recently. I mentally reminded myself to get a personal pair at Lowes or something this week.

Elsa came up behind us, 3 pieces of paper in her hand. I hand her a pair of goggles, which she holds up like a dead rat.

"I know Els, they're gross. We can get some of our own later."

She nods, and pulls on the goggles, shuddering slightly. I reach up and push her bangs out from under the lenses, neatly arranging them back atop her head. Daniel coughs somewhat conspicuously from beside us.

"So, whadoo we have to do?" he asks.

Elsa looks down at the paper.

"Let's see, we need 3 beakers, a graduated cylinder, and the chemicals sodium sulfate, ammonium chloride, sodium carbonate, and hydrochloric acid."

We go about the room, gathering the materials, before going to one of the lab stations situated at the back of the room.

I notice how several other groups are already mixing chemicals, so I look down at the procedures.

"Alright, we need to mix 10 grams of sodium carbonate with 30 milliliters of water."

Elsa measures out the sodium carbonate while Daniel fills a beaker with water. As Elsa pours the chemicals into the water, we all jump at the sound of a loud bang. I look up to see one group has shattered their beaker. Mr. Jung is rushing over to them, making sure nobody's hurt. He looks at the mess on the table.

"Cassandra, that's ammonium chloride, not sodium carbonate. You can't mix the two in water, or else this happens."

He gestures at the mess.

"Sorry Mr. Jung, I didn't notice."

He sighs.

"Go and get some paper towels and rags to clean this up, and be careful next time."

She nods, rushing over to the supplies area. I turn to Elsa.

"That's sodium carbonate, not ammonium chloride, right?" I tease.

She smacks my arm, causing me to jump back.

"Kidding!"

The rest of the lab goes by smoothly, and we accomplish the desired effect of a yellowish solid as a final product. Mr. Jung comes over to inspect our work.

"Very nice, very nice," he compliments, swirling the compound around in its beaker. He sets the beaker down and looks over our notes and write ups, in which we only needed one copy. We had Elsa write everything down since both mine and Daniel's handwriting was atrocious, while Elsa's was naturally elegant and sophisticated looking. Mr. Jung nods, impressed.

"Excellent job. An A for today," he says, writing an 'A' on our paper.

When he walks away, Daniel leans over towards me and Elsa.

"I need to work with you guys more often. I've never gotten an A in science before now."

I laugh, and Elsa cracks a smile. Daniel had been outright astonished that Elsa could speak in the first place, and have any human reaction at all. He didn't say this, obviously, as that would be extremely rude, but I could tell from his expressions and reactions.

"We'll see about that, if we can use you as our little science minion."

"If it gets me A's, I don't care," he replies with a smirk.

We return to our desks and pack up our things, finishing with a minute left until the bell rings. I look around the classroom, seeing several groups rushing to finish or to get Mr. Jung to check their work.

"It's pretty awesome having you as a science partner," I say to Elsa, taking her hand in mine.

"Its nice having you as mine," she replies. I give her a quick kiss before the bell rings. We rise and head off for second period.

The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully, excluding a rather menacing glare from Hans in 3rd. During 6th period, Kristoff came over to spot me on the barbell. While I was lifting, he leaned over.

"So, d'you want to hang out with me and some friends later this week?"

I set the bar on the rests with a groan, rubbing my arms.

"Sure, what're you doing?"

"I dunno. Probably going over to Flynn's to play some Xbox, eat pizza, and just mess around."

"Yeah, sounds fun," I say with a smile.

"Cool. We were thinking Wednesday, but that might change. I'll let you know when we decide."

"Ok, thanks man." I glance at the clock. "Time to do some pushups."

"Think you can beat me this time?"

"Oh, I know I can." 

-x-

I make my way out of the locker room after weight training, heading towards the parking lot. I go over to our usual place by the basketball courts, but only find Anna.

"Hey, where's Elsa?" I ask, approaching her.

Anna looks up from her phone, noticing me.

"I dunno. Haven't seen her yet. Maybe she went to talk with a teacher or something, but she hasn't texted me."

I check my phone.

"Me neither."

I lean against the wall next to Anna.

"So, how was your day?"

"For a Monday, not bad. How 'bout you?"

"Same, I guess. Didn't get any homework, which is a plus."

"No homework? Lucky. I have a bunch of stupid math to do. Have I told you I hate math?"

"Only like 20 times now."

She giggles.

"Well, I do."

We stand around for a while longer, watching the cars and buses pulling out of the school. After another 10 minutes, where Anna and I kept on sending periodic texts to Elsa, I give in.

"I'm gonna go find her. You can head on home, Anna. I'll text you when I find her."

"Ok, if you say so. Good luck!"

She waves as she heads to her car. I wave back and go back into the school. I mentally run through anywhere Elsa could be. Probably not the bathroom, since it had been a half-hour already. Probably not any classes, since Elsa had straight A's in everything. She would usually tell me when she was staying after, since we carpooled. This just seemed odd for her.

I make my way back towards the front of the school, going into the band room, where I find Mr. Pillard organizing music.

"Hey Mr. Pillard."

"Braden, hello! What are you doing here?"

"I'm actually looking for Elsa. Have you seen her?"

"Yes, she was in here about 20 minutes ago to get her flute. But then she left right after that."

I scratch my head in confusion.

"Well, thanks. See you."

"Have a good day, Braden."

I walk back out, deciding to try the library, when I hear a very distinctive voice.

"Get off of me!"

It came from towards the front entrance, and the voice was definitely Elsa's.

I immediately turned and sprinted towards the sound. Reaching the main entrance, I see what was perhaps the scariest thing in my life. Hans had Elsa by her braid, dragging her towards the back lot behind the school, where there were no cameras. He was flanked by his two cronies, John and Cooper. I had expected her to cry out, but he had his other hand clamped over her mouth. Impotent rage erupted inside of me.

"Hey, get the hell off of her!" I shout, running towards them.

Hans looks up at me, and grins darkly. He lets go of Elsa's braid, and slaps her across the face. I start running faster, when I see him pull something out of his pocket. Before I can make out what it is, he flips it open, revealing a butterfly knife. I skid to a stop as he brings it up by Elsa's face. She shrieks through his hand and tries to pull away, but Hans holds her still.

"Move another step, and I'll take this knife to her pretty little face."

I freeze.

"Please, just let her go," I beg.

"No, not after what you did to me. Now, it'll either be you or her that gets hurt. You decide."

I stare into her eyes, which are wide with fear.

"Fine, punish me. Just let her go."

Hans let's go of Elsa, and pushes her to John, who shoves a gag into her mouth and holds her still.

"If she moves, knock her out," he tells him.

John nods. Hans moves towards me, the knife still in his hand. I take up a defensive position, but I had never fought an opponent with a weapon before. I'm able to block his first swipe, but his parry slices into my left arm. I stumble back, holding the wound. It wasn't deep, but stung badly. He swings again, catching my shoulder. Elsa is absolutely mortified at what's happening, struggling with all her might against John. And her hands begin to glow blue. I look at her, fear and pain evident on my face.

"Elsa, it'll be fine. Conceal it, don't let it show."

She notices that her powers are starting to go out of control, and fights it with all her might.

Hans comes at me again, but I manage to grab his arm and kick him in the gut. He bends over wheezing, and is proceed to try and kick him in the head. But before I can, Cooper catches my leg, throwing me back. I land heavily on my back, and struggle to get up as the two approach me. That's when I notice where we were. I was just 20 feet away from my car. I make my way to my feet, and make as if to clutch my leg, when in fact I hit the unlock button on my keys. Thank God the car had a silent unlock. I slowly back towards it, while my two attackers advance on me. 10 feet away, I turn and sprint for the trunk. I'm able to get it open before Cooper catches me and throws me back. I swiftly make my way to my feet and shove him into the car next to me. I pivot to counter Hans' attack, hitting his wrist, and causing his knife to fly away from his hand. While he's distracted in locating it, I grab two bottles of pepper spray out of my trunk, pull out the safeties, and hide them behind my back. Hans had just relocated his knife, and Cooper had pulled himself up away from the car, and were advancing on me again. Just as they were about to reach me, I pull the two cans of pepper spray from my back, aiming one at each of the attackers. I hit the buttons, and streams of red liquid shoot into their faces. They collapse to the ground, screaming, clawing at their burning faces and eyes. I reach back into my car, pulling out my metal baseball bat and a taser, and make my way back towards John, who still had Elsa captive.

He looked horrified at what I had done to his friends, but held his ground.

"Let. Her. Go," I growl, pointing the bat at him.

But he doesn't. Instead, he follows Hans' orders. He let's go of Elsa, and proceeds to punch her in the face. She crumples to the ground, unconscious.

"Elsa!" I scream.

I look up at John, who is now running away towards his car. I debate whether to go after him or go to Elsa, but I go to Elsa first. I gently pick her up, wincing as her sweater touches the cut on my left arm. I feel her neck, checking for a pulse, and am relieved to find one. I set her back down on the sidewalk, using my jacket as a pillow for her. I notice her left eye and cheek are already starting to swell up. Rage sweeps over me again. I scoop up my taser and bat, going back over to the two still screaming attackers. Reaching Hans, I pick his knife up and kick him in the side. He groans.

"Get up, you son of a bitch. Get up!"

I pull him up by his shirt myself, before punching him in the face. He falls to the ground, and I notice Cooper attempting to crawl away. I turn on the taser, and it starts emitting a very distinctive buzzing sound.

"If you don't want to get tased, don't move."

He stops, but doesn't turn around. I pick up both men by their collars, dragging them over to the school wall. Then, I savagely kick both in the head, knocking each out. I go back over to Elsa, and dial 911.

"Los Angeles police, what is your emergency?"

"I've been attacked at Arendelle High School. There are 4 people injured, three unconscious. Two victims and two assaulters. One assaulter got away."

"What are the nature of the injured?"

"Severe."

"Alright sir, we have officers in your area. They will arrive with a medical unit to your location within 10 minutes. If anybody goes into trauma, call back immediately. What is your name so our officers can identify you?"

"Braden. Braden Sanders."

"Thank you Mr. Sanders."

The line ended. I pocket my phone and gingerly lift up Elsa, carrying her towards the office. I'm dismayed to find it locked. I forgot the office staff went home with the students on Mondays. I sit against the door, holding Elsa on my lap.

"This sure turned out to be a crappy day, huh Els?" I ask her unmoving form. Then suddenly I burst into tears.

"I'm sorry I let this happen. It's all my fault."

She had no answers, no words of comfort. Only her soft breathing.

I wipe at my face with my sleeve, holding Elsa closer. Minutes later, the police arrive, consisting of 4 cop cars, an ambulance, and even a fire truck. They are closely followed by another civilian car, and I recognize Principal Gates in the driver's seat. The first to reach me is one of the officers.

"Are you Braden Sanders?"

I nod, not getting up.

"Alright son, you will have to tell me what happened."

I recite my ordeal, starting with not being able to find Elsa to knocking out Hans and Cooper. I include the incident in the lunchroom as well, as it was obviously the cause. I don't hold back the information of my protective devices, but the officer doesn't press. I had obviously used them correctly and not aggressively.

As I was talking to the officer, one of the medics came to take Elsa from me. I let her go, and the officer waved off the medic who came for me. As I reached the part with John, the officer stopped me.

"What did he look like?"

"Tall, dark brown hair, stocky, was wearing a red t-shirt and jeans. He drove off in his car, which I think was a Nissan. It's black."

The officer moves away to start a search for John to be brought in for questioning. After a minute, he returns to me.

"So Hans, Cooper, and John were your only attackers?"

"Yes."

"Alright son, that's all I need. I'll need you to fill this out so we can contact you if necessary."

He handed me a piece of paper on a clipboard with a pen. I fill out the information and hand it back to the officer. He looks it over, and let's me go. I head over to the one of the ambulances. Another had been called in after the medics assessed the situation. I luckily went to the one where Elsa was.

"Is she ok?" I ask the medic standing outside.

"She should be fine. Took a blow to the head, but we don't think there will be a concussion or anything serious. She should be awake in the next few hours," he said.

I clutch my arm as a stabbing pain shoots through it.

"Oh my, you're hurt too. Officer Harding didn't tell us that."

He inspects my arm and shoulder.

"Not deep, but needs to be cleaned. Sit here," he orders, motioning to the bumper of the ambulance.

I sit as the medic rummages around on the inside. He comes back out with some antiseptic, cloth pads, gauze, and painkillers.

"You're going to have to take your shirt off," he said, staring at my arm.

I comply, and he puts some antiseptic on the cloth pads, gently rubbing them across the cuts. I grimace, clenching my teeth. It literally felt like fire.

As the medic was wrapping the cuts in gauze, Principal Bates came up to me.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright!" she exclaims. "I had no idea Hans would do such a thing. He has been expelled, and will stand trial for what he did. You were very brave, standing up to him."

I nod. "I had to protect Elsa," I admit, turning to look at her still form.

"Oh yes, is she alright too?"

"I think so. She got knocked out by John."

"Why I never...this type of behavior at Arendelle High! I will not stand for it. You get well, Braden. I'll have this sorted out immediately."

"Thanks Mrs. Gates."

She smiles at me, before heading for the office.

The medic returns, looking over a chart.

"It seems you will have to come with us to the hospital to have those cuts examined, but then you'll be free to go."

I nod, and am allowed to sit in the front passenger seat. The two ambulances pull out and head for Arendelle General Hospital, with their sirens on.

After arriving and being checked in, the doctors determine that my cuts did not harm any vital nerves or blood vessels, and said that they should be healed in a matter of days. They also confirmed that Elsa did not suffer any severe damage, other than some bruising and swelling. They administered medicine for that, and gave me painkillers. They then said I could leave, but I asked if I could stay with Elsa. They agreed, given the circumstances.

I sat by her bed for two hours, until her eyes finally fluttered open. She glanced around the room frantically for a moment before her eyes rested on mine. Then she burst into tears. I jump up, going over to her bed.

"I'm so sorry, Braden. They hurt you, and I couldn't help. I was too weak."

I took her hand in mine, squeezing it.

"No, don't you say you were weak. You were amazing, Elsa. You contained your power and stood up to those bastards yourself. I just had to teach them a lesson."

She clutches at my hand, tears still pouring from her eyes.

"C'mere," I say.

I pick her up and bring her to the couch I had been sitting on. She curls up into my lap, her head on my good shoulder, as I wrapped my hands around her.

"You're ok. We're ok. Everything's fine now, Elsa."

She eventually calms down, and, exhausted, falls asleep in my arms. A few minutes later, a doctor comes in to check on Elsa, only to find us on the couch. I look up at him.

"Can Elsa and I go home now?"

"If she's awake, then yes, you can go home. Would you like a ride from an ambulance, cab, or police car?"

"Ambulance."

He nods. Alright then. Come to the main entrance whenever you're ready.

He leaves, and I gently pick myself and the still sleeping Elsa up. We load up into an ambulance, where Elsa is placed on a gurney, while I tell the driver where we live. He drops us off at the Snow mansion, and I carry Elsa upstairs, telling Anna, Kai, and Gerda, who were in the living room, not to worry.

Entering her bedroom, I lay her down and tuck her in, before collapsing onto the couch in her room myself, almost instantly falling asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**I wish to express my deepest apologies for keeping you guys waiting for so long. It's been a hectic couple of weeks at school, and so much homework has been dumped on me I feel like I've been drowned. Anyway, I was able to carve out some time to put another chapter together. I have no idea when I'll be able to update it next, but I needed to get something out. Check out my profile for regular updates on stories and whatnot. Ironically enough, I update that more than my stories. So, on with the fic!**

Elsa awoke from a deep sleep, in which she was oddly dreaming about snowmen coming to life. She stared around her, confused, until she finally realized that she was in her room.

"How did I get here?" she wondered to herself.

Then all of a sudden, the events from yesterday crashed down on her like a tidal wave. The attack, how I fought off Hans and his gang, waking up in the hospital. She couldn't take it all in again, and she all of a sudden started choking, tears rolling from her eyes. She clutched the sheets, which were starting to ice over from her high emotions. They probably would have gone out of control if a warm hand wasn't placed on hers.

Elsa looks up to see me staring into her eyes, trying to talk to her.

"Elsa! Elsa, you're alright. We're home now."

She jumps into my arms, squeezing me with a death grip. I gently place my own arms around her waist, holding her until she calmed down again. Eventually she relaxed, and the ice started to dissipate. I look at her face again, finding her eyes squeezed tight shut. I slowly rub her back.

"Hey, are you ok?"

She opens her eyes, which are shining in the low light of the room. Just like all the other times I see her eyes, they blow me away.

"Y-yes, I'm ok. Just, I don't know."

I stare concernedly at her as she lowers her eyes.

"I just, I feel scared and guilty and confused, about losing you. You could have been killed."

"But I'm not, Elsa. I'm right here with you, and we're ok, just how I want it to be."

"Me too."

I inch my face closer to hers, before softly kissing her. She responds back, in her usual fervor. At first, the kiss is quiet and warm. But as usual, it starts becoming more heated as we let our feelings go. Before things really got out of hand, Elsa pulls away, but her eyes are shining.

"I love you," she whispers.

I stroke her cheek. "I love you too. Always remember that, no matter what, I'll be there for you."

Just then there's a knock on the door. We both look up at the sound of Gerda's voice.

"Are you dears awake? I heard voices, and thought I'd bring up some hot chocolate."

"Yes, Gerda, we're awake. Come on in," I say.

She enters, carrying a tray with two steaming mugs on it. I take mine gratefully, immediately sipping the heavenly beverage. Elsa does the same, getting into a position to sit beside me on the bed. Gerda pulls up a chair to sit across from us.

"So, the principal and the police called this morning, explaining everything."

Her eyes are shining, and I could tell she'd been crying from the red streaks on her cheeks. She stares directly at me.

"That's twice now you've saved my Elsa. And I want to express my deepest gratitude towards you."

I nod, and Elsa takes a hold of my arm, pulling herself to me. Gerda smiles, and quickly blows her nose on a handkerchief.

"You two look so great together. If you need anything Braden, anything at all, do not hesitate to come to me or Kai."

I nod.

"Sure thing, Gerda. But I think I already have all I want," I say, putting an arm around Elsa.

She blushes, but doesn't shy away like she would normally. Gerda stands up, and leaves the room. Just as the door closes, it bursts open again, revealing a hyperactive looking redhead.

"You guys are OK!" she screeches, tackling us on the bed. It takes all my presence of mind not to spill my hot chocolate on Elsa's sheets.

"Anna, choking, not breathing," I gasp.

She had proceeded to wrap both of us in death grips.

"Oops, sorry."

She gets up, and takes Gerda's chair. At the moment, she's fuming.

"I swear, if I see that scumbag Hans again I'll..."

She's scrunching up her fists and has a rather murderous look in her eye. To both girls' surprise, I laugh.

"We could've used your temper, Anna. Hans would have been running scared."

Anna perks up at this.

"Damn right he would!"

"Anna!" Elsa scolds.

"What? Really Elsa? I'm eighteen years old, and I can say whatever the hell I want."

Elsa looks mortified, and I just laugh harder. Between the look on Elsa's face and Anna's stubborn remark, I can't help myself. Just as I felt like I get a hold of my outburst, Anna cracks up, sending us both into a fit of laughter. Elsa just stares at us as we literally roll around on the ground. 

-x-

We are all able to go to school the next morning, after having settled our issues from Monday. Kai and Gerda make us a huge breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon, in which we eat our fill. Finishing, we grab our bags and head outside to where our cars are waiting. As per usual, Anna takes her Mercedes while Elsa and I go in my Mazda. Though I'm feeling fine, I can tell Elsa is nervous. I wouldn't blame her, on account of the disasters that have happened recently. Funny thing is, it's usually me getting hurt, with Elsa on the sidelines. Anyway, I hold her hand the entire drive to school, attempting to lend her my strength which I knew she was lacking.

We pull into the senior lot, park, and make our way into the building. I make it a point never to leave Elsa's side, nor even let go of her hand. If disaster should strike again, I'd be prepared to stand up to whatever it was for her. We head towards the physics room, when the school intercoms click on.

"Elsa Snow and Braden Sanders, please report to the principal's office. Elsa Snow and Braden Sanders, please report to the principal's office."

The intercom goes silent, and I look at Elsa. Several people in the hall have started to stare at us. Word must have gotten around.

"C'mon Els, let's go see what they want."

She just nods silently, but her eyes widen in fear. I squeeze her hand, and pull her back towards the main office.

We enter to find Mrs. Riley going over some forms from the leadership class. She looks up as we approach the front desk.

"Ah, Braden, oh and Elsa, yes, in here," she says, beckoning us over to a side room. "It's perfectly fine, you're not in trouble or anything."

Like that'll improve our mood.

I lead us inside, to find Principal Gates sitting behind the desk in what I presume is the principal's office. She motions to the two chairs sitting opposite her. We sit, and Elsa fidgets slightly. Principal Gates looks up from some paperwork, setting her pen aside.

"So, how are you two doing?"

Seeing as Elsa wasn't very talkative today, I speak up.

"We're fine, Principal Gates. We were able to come to school just fine."

"Good, good. I just wanted to let the two of you know that Hans, Cooper, and John have been arrested on charges of assault and attempted kidnapping. What made them want to do such a thing is beyond me, but they got what they deserved."

I nod, and she goes on.

"Anyway, the incident was not publicized with too many details. Well, not any details at all really. It was on the news, but was only labeled as an assault on two teens, in which a fight broke out. Location and names were not publicly broadcasted, which was a request on my part. You two have enough to deal with already."

"Wow," I say. "Thanks Principal Gates that really does help."

"Not a problem. Now you two go to class. Nobody should be interfering with your business from here on out."

I nod and smile, taking Elsa's hand again and walking us out of the office and back into the school. While we go back to physics, I turn to Elsa.

"So, feel better now?"

She nods slightly.

"You sure? If something's bothering you, you can tell me."

She nods again.

"Could you at least give me a little smile?"

She turns her head and gives a small grin. I put my arm around her shoulder and kiss her forehead.

"There's my girl."

We resume our spots in physics, and listen to Mr. Jung drone on about kinetic dynamics. Elsa is diligently taking notes, while I try and locate a pencil. I look around, art petting to locate Anna. I spot her two seats down from me. So I address the kid next to her.

"Hey Logan, get Anna would you?" I whisper.

"Yeah, sure. Hey Anna!" he says, poking her on the shoulder.

She looks up from her notebook, at first to Logan, then follows his pointing finger to me.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Could I borrow a pencil?"

She holds back a giggle.

"Really? You're in the 12th grade and you don't pack a pencil?"

"What, you've never heard of the pencil goblin? He goes into seniors' backpacks, steals their pencils, then sticks them into the freshmen's' ear canals. Of course I don't have pencils."

She just rolls her eyes, and hands me a pink mechanical pencil. I stare at it.

"Seriously?"

"You asked for it."

Neither of notice Mr. Jung has started calling on students to answer questions on the smart board.

"Mr. Sanders, what is your answer to question 2?"

I jerk up, quickly scanning the board.

"It's, er, um, the number..."

I glance at Elsa's paper.

"15.6."

Mr. Jung writes the answer on the board.

"Thank you Ms. Snow."

I sit agape, and see Mr. Jung moving on to the next problem. Almost the whole class is snickering. Sometimes, teachers are too smart for their own good.

Elsa is still staring at her paper, but has the tiniest of smirks on her face. I just sit back in my seat and groan. School sucks. 

-x-

Elsa and I head off to literature as Anna goes to whatever her second period is, which I could never remember. Halfway through the class, we get the lovely surprise of a book report that's due by winter break. Even more lovely, we don't get to choose our partners, they happen to be randomized, in groups of three. I end up getting paired with this thin, kinda awkward guy named Harold, although everyone for some strange reason calls him Hiccup. He was a transfer from Norway two years ago. The third group member is a bubbly, bouncing brunette named Rapunzel, though she explicitly orders people to just call her Punzie. She claims she used to have long golden hair, but cut it short for reasons she deigns not to share. I introduce myself, and we go on to the business of which book to read. After a much heated debate over the books, which culminated in a split between Catch-22 and Frankenstein, we decide on Catch-22 after finding out about Punzie's apparent distaste with monsters. But, ironically enough, Catch-22 is a war based book. Lucky me. I already know too much about the military as it is.

During the period, I keep glancing over at Elsa, making sure she's alright. She was paired with some random guy and girl in the class, whose names escape me. Anyway, she looked to be managing fine, if by managing she doesn't talk at all. Ah well, at least I know that group will get an A no matter what happens. Elsa sure does love reading. I gotta show her FanFiction one of these days. She would dig that.

The period ends quickly, and I wait for Elsa by the door to walk to calculus. Taking her hand, I ask her about her group.

"So, who're you working with on the book report?"

"Tyson and Erika. They're nice, I guess. We're reading Grapes of Wrath."

Of course she would choose the longest book possible. I snicker.

"Ha, good luck with that. I tried reading that once, and I quit after page two."

She just rolls her eyes and keeps walking.

Going into calculus, we take our seats in the middle of the classroom. This was the only period where I didn't sit directly next to Elsa, mainly because the teacher, Mr. Weselton, gave us seating charts. This prompted the majority of the senior class to call him 'Mr. Weaseltown' behind his back.

I pull out my notebook and homework from the day before, getting ready for sheer boredom. I sit with my head propped up on my hand as Weselton drones on about probability and Pascal's Triangle. I almost doze off a few times, but jerk awake very time my head slips off my hand. Occasionally I would glance behind me at Elsa, but she's always looking down at her notes, which I would most likely be copying later today. After what seems like half an eternity, Weselton finally lets us work on our homework for the day, and to turn in yesterday's. I hand my assignment up to the front, then open up my textbook, staring at the problems that looked like gibberish to me.

'Expand (2x+7)^12 using Pascal's Triangle'

How the hell do people do this stuff? I sit as my brain does the clapping cymbal monkey doing somersaults kinda thing. Done with my mental incompetency, I close my book and start to pack up my stuff. I'll just ask Elsa later. Though I'm pretty sure it annoys her, she never hesitates to help me with my homework. She's a freaking genius and she's heart-stoppingly beautiful. What more could I want?

The period ends after another 5 minutes, and I quickly get up, walking over to Elsa.

"Ready for lunch, Els? 'Cause I'm starving."

She nods.

"Just a sec..."

She's still writing on her paper, which I realize is the math assignment.

"There. Done," she says, setting aside her pencil.

My jaw drops.

"Seriously? How is that even possible? I don't even remember this stuff."

"It's easy, really. You just need to get the pattern down, then it's just multiplication from there."

I help collect her stuff as she loads her bag.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

She blushes.

"No."

"Well, you are. And you can't even help it."

She blushes deeper.

"Thank you."

I hand her her calculator, the last thing on her desk.

"C'mon smarty pants, let's go eat."

As per usual, we go to the band room for lunch. Most of the time, we're the only ones in there besides the occasional kid who wants to practice instead of eat. Today we were accompanied by a junior who wanted to play the piano. We didn't mind, and sat on the opposite end of the room, sharing a ham sandwich and a bag of kettle chips.

We watched as the kid sat at the piano and opened the key cover. He didn't have any music, and didn't seem nervous or self-conscious like other people do when they have an audience. Maybe he didn't even notice us. Anyway, he started playing a song that was oddly familiar, and quite beautiful. It took a minute, but once the chorus started, I recognized it. I turn to whisper in Elsa's ear.

"He's playing that song from Frozen, Let it Go."

I see her eyes flare with recognition as she gasps.

"You're right. I was trying to remember where I'd heard that."

We sit in silence again as the kid finishes the song. He was really quite good. Then, without any word or glance towards us, he gets up and leaves.

"Well that was odd," I say.

"Yeah. I forgot how much I like that song."

"Do you remember who it was by?"

She stops to think for a minute.

"I think it was written by Robert and Kristen Lopez, but it was sung by Idina Menzel."

"Oh yeah, that's right. She was awesome in that movie."

"Yeah, she was."

We eat the rest of our lunch then decide to break out our instruments for band a few minutes early.

The rest of the day passes by uneventfully. Senior social studies was still as boring as hell, but weight training not as much. I team up with Kristoff like I usually do, and we go about our standard routine.

"So, the guys and I are still hanging out after school today. You game?" he asks as we make our way to the free-weight station.

I select two 35 pound disks and start in on some squats.

"Yeah, sure. I'll check with Elsa after class."

Kristoff snorts.

"What, is she like your mom now or something?"

"Nah, I just want to make sure she'll be ok at home, what with the..."

I trail off, remembering that Kristoff didn't know about what happened on Monday. Anna hasn't had the courage to tell him either.

Kristoff stares at me.

"With the what?"

I look around me, seeing the rest of the class meandering about the weight room.

"I'll tell you later. Don't want anyone here to know."

He nods nonchalantly, selecting two 60 pound disks to squat with. I swear, the guy could probably lift my entire car off the ground, he was so strong.

After class, I speed toward my customary after school meet-up place, relieved to find Elsa and Anna there, already waiting. We go to our cars, and pull out to go back home. Or should I say Elsa and Anna's home.

"So, how was your last two periods?" I ask, leaning my arm out the open window.

"Fine."

I pull my arm back in to grab the wheel, and use my other to rub her shoulder.

"You ok?"

She nods.

"Just kinda tired. I think I'm going to lay down when we get home."

"Alright, Els. Is it ok with you if I go hang out with some friends later today?"

She looks over at me, confused.

"Yes, of course. You don't have to ask me to go somewhere."

"Well, I did anyway, just to make sure you were fine alone at the house."

"Yes, I'll be fine, thank you. I don't see why I wouldn't be."

"Well alright then, it's all settled."

We pull into the driveway, where I wave off Edgar, saying I'll be leaving again in a few minutes. I park the car in the traffic loop outside, and bring mine and Elsa's bag up to the door.

"Hey, Kristoff just texted me, saying to come over whenever. I'll see you later tonight then?"

"Yeah, ok."

"Awesome."

I pull her in for a kiss before turning around to go back to my car. Before I get in, I intercept Anna on her way inside.

"Hey Anna, wait up for a sec."

She stops, before coming over to my side.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Um, where does Kristoff live?"

She blinks, surprised.

"Uh, well, he lives off of 5th and Vine, house number 112. Actually, just give me your phone."

I hand it to her, and she quickly types some stuff into it.

"There," she says, handing it back to me. "I've put it into Google Maps."

"Hey, thanks."

"No prob. Don't get lost," she adds with a wink.

"Sure thing. See ya Anna."

"See ya."

She skips up to the front door while I swing into my car. It's gonna be nice to have some mindless game time with a bunch of Neanderthals. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright, some random gaming nerdish details are in this chapter. If you get it, awesome. If you don't, too bad. Also, if you can identify some other Disney characters in this chapter, good on ya.**

I prop my phone up in my cup holder, setting it to tell me the directions as I go. The standardized female monotone permeates my ears as I pull out onto the road.

The drive was actually quite short, considering I got lost three times. By the time I was ready to throw my phone out the window, I finally found the house. It was quite large, two stories, and appeared to have a basement as well. There were several small children playing in the well maintained yard, who look up as I pull in. Anna did tell me something about Kristoff having a lot of siblings. Feeling strangely self-conscious, I get out of my car and walk up to the front door. I just have to knock once before it swings open, revealing a rather frazzled short and plump woman in an apron, holding a wooden spoon.

"Oh! Hello! Who are you?" she asks, quickly giving me a once-over.

"Uh, I'm Braden, a friend of Kristoff's."

"You're Braden? Oh, you're so handsome!"

"Err..."

She sweeps me into a quick hug.

"Kristoff has told me so much about you! You're the one dating Elsa! Oh, the poor dear seemed so sad all the time, but you seem to have changed that, hmm?"

"Um, yeah, I guess."

"Wonderful! Please, come in, come in, Kristoff is upstairs playing his games. Oh my, I never introduced myself! I'm Bulda, Kristoff's mom," she says, taking my hand and shaking it vigorously. "Would you like anything to eat or drink dear?"

"Oh, no thank you, I'm fine."

"Well, alrighty then. Kristoff's room is up the stairs, second door on the left."

With that, she disappears into the kitchen. I have a feeling now where Anna gets some of her shenanigans. I head up the stairs, and hear the sound of a video game from the hallway. Going to said door, I open it up to find what appears to be Kristoff's room. There's a full size bed in the corner, with an Oregon Ducks blanket on it. The walls are adorned with various posters of either video games or football teams. In the corner opposite the bed is a flat screen TV over a desk with a laptop and some textbooks. Kristoff is sitting on a black gaming chair, staring up at the TV, his hands a blur on his Xbox controller. I have to come into the room completely before he sees me.

"Oh, hey! I didn't know you were here already. Dammit, no, get the flag, get the flag!" he shouts into his headset. I look over at the TV to see a game of Capture the Flag on Black Ops II, on the map Nuketown. Kristoff continues to shout into the headset.

"Flag down in Blue Garage, wait wait wait sniper in top window! Ok got 'im. No, they returned it! Hey, shadowkiller, use your RPG to hit the guy coming around the house. No, other side! Wait, another sniper?! Who's covering me?"

It was easy to tell Kristoff was a very verbal gamer. After another minute, he throws his headset down in frustration. I look at the screen as the nuke animation goes off, seeing Kristoff's team had 3 captures, while the enemy had 5. He looks up at me after going back to the main lobby.

"So, why are you here so early?"

"I dunno. You did say to come after school whenever. So I got directions from Anna and just came now."

"Oh, ok. We were all gonna go to Flynn's in a few minutes, since my house is too crowded and he has better gaming set ups. You wanna play while we wait?"

"Sure. I could show you something," I say with a smirk.

"Yeah? Bring it on then."

He hands me the controller and headset.

"I'll just let you play, since I hate split screen."

"Really? You and me both."

He laughs, relinquishing his chair to go sit on the end, still with a clear view of the TV. I sit down and set up my classes.

I make an M27 class, a MSMC class, and a DSR class. Upon seeing the third one, Kristoff snorts.

"You quickscope?"

"Yeah man, all day every day."

"Well, we'll see about that."

I start up a search for a team deathmatch game, finding one after a few seconds. It's on the desert map Turbine. Perfect.

Kristoff watches me as I run around the map sniping everything I see. Black Ops II is my jam for quickscoping. It's almost like it's natural to me. After 5 hyped up minutes, my team wins 75 to 32.

"Dang, when did you pull on your try-hard pants?" he teases as I hand the controller back to him.

"Ah, sometime this morning," I reply, playfully punching his arm. "I had a feeling I would need them today."

"Well, you were right. Flynn is the reigning COD champ, so you're gonna have to beat him for your initiation."

"Great, bring it on."

Kristoff glances over at the time.

"I guess we could head over there now. We'll take both cars, so you won't have to come back here."

"Alright."

We head outside, where Kristoff reveals his big, rusty, dark brown Chevy truck.

"Dang," I say.

He leans against it.

"Like it? I call him Sven."

"Sven? Really? You named your truck?"

"Yeah, who doesn't?"

"Uh, normal people."

"Well, I guess I'm abnormal now because of you."

I laugh.

"Well, load up Sven and let's get a move on."

He does, starting up the truck with a roar of the engine. He smirks at me through the windshield as I get into my Mazda. Pulling out into the road, I make to follow him. The ride to Flynn's is a only a few minutes long, and I notice he lives rather close to school. We pull into the driveway of a light grey colored two story, which was actually quite large because of its wide base layout.

Kristoff parks and turns off his monster of a truck and gets out, as I pull in behind him. There was a nice red Mustang GT in the driveway next to a black Escalade. Flynn must have some bank.

I get out and turn off my car before joining Kristoff at the front door, where he is obnoxiously knocking.

The door opens revealing an annoyed teenager, who I guess must be Flynn. I had seen him around school, and had heard the name Flynn before I just didn't know the name belonged to him. He was quite tall, with dark brown, almost black windswept hair paired with a short beard along with brown eyes. He also seemed to have a permanent smirk, like he automatically thought everyone saw him as attractive. Either way, he seemed excited to see us.

"Whadyou know, the Iceman and the Snow King!" he exclaims. "Please, enter my humble abode," he says with a ridiculously elaborate bow.

Kristoff just laughs, while I continue to try and figure the guy out.

"Hey you big doof," says Kristoff, slapping Flynn on the back. He turns to me.

"Well don't just stand there like a bump on a log, come on in!"

I shake myself out of my reverie and join the other two inside. Flynn leads us downstairs into a basement, where an impressive looking gaming setup is laid out.

"Welcome to my man cave. Just take a seat anywhere while I call the rest of the guys. You two are pretty damn early."

He heads back upstairs, so Kristoff and I plop down onto two adjacent chairs around a huge flat screen TV.

"You'll get used to him," says Kristoff, seeing the look on my face.

"He seems, kinda, full of himself."

"No shit, Sherlock. But he's a nice guy. You'll see."

"Riiiight."

Flynn returns a few minutes later with his arms full of soda boxes.

"Alrighty then, I got Coke, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, and Root Beer. Drink up."

Kristoff reaches over to grab a Sprite.

"Hey, toss me a Coke, would you?" I say from across the room.

He grabs one and tosses it in my direction, not even looking at me.

I deftly catch it and pop it open, take a drink, then subsequently grimace.

"Hey Flynn, you got any ice?"

He looks up from where he's kneeling in front of the TV, looking for the remote.

"Shouldn't you be asking your girlfriend about that, pretty boy?" he taunts.

I recognize the sarcasm, but my heart stops, initially thinking that he meant Elsa's powers. After a moment though I realize he just meant her uncanny nickname of 'Ice Queen'.

"Oh, ha ha. Just show me where the kitchen is."

He jerks his thumb up over his shoulder, pointing back towards the stairs.

I pull myself up out of the chair and make my way up to the first story, wandering around until I find the kitchen.

I have to root around the cupboards for a while until I can locate a glass, which I fill with ice from the fridge. I upturn my can of Coke into the glass, swishing it around as I try and relocate the stairs to the basement. Just as I find them, the doorbell rings.

"Ah hell!" comes Flynn's voice from below me. "Frosty, go get that!"

I roll my eyes and go to the front door.

Standing on the doorstep are three other guys I had seen around school but couldn't recall their names.

One guy was tall and gangly, with dirty blonde hair and glasses on a thin face, who was awkwardly standing in the middle of the doorway. The second was of a medium height and build, with black hair tied back in a ponytail and blue eyes that kinda reminded me of Elsa's, who was leaning against the side of the house with a bored expression. The third guy appeared to be slightly Hispanic, with black hair and a ripped torso, much like Kristoff, who was examining the plants in the pots outside Flynn's door. They all seemed like an odd bunch.

"Hey guys, come on in," I say, opening the door up all the way.

The Hispanic guy and the slightly shorter guy saunter in, while the tall guy kinda shuffles and sprints at the same time.

As I'm closing the door, Flynn and Kristoff come bounding up the stairs.

"Sup ma peeps!" exclaims Flynn, punching the buff guy on the shoulder. "Now it's a party!"

He throws his arms around the shorter guy and the awkward taller guy.

"Do you doofs know who this fine fellow before me is?"

I stand by the door, staring into my glass.

When none of them speak, Flynn throws his head back exasperatedly.

"Jeez, c'mon guys, it's the Snow King!"

They stare at me again, but this time with incredulity.

"Uh, hey, I'm Braden," I say.

Flynn goes off into introductions as well, starting with the tall guy.

"This fine fellow is Milo, Milo Thatch. Met him when I was, I dunno, like, 2 or somethin'."

He moved on to the Hispanic guy.

"This kinda buffish guy is Eric, who happens to be an accomplished fisherman, which nobody gives a rat's ass about."

He moves on to the third, who is standing off to the side with his arms crossed.

"And this sullen lookin' lad is Jim Hawkins, a delinquent who fancies himself a pirate."

Jim proceeds to punch Flynn on the gut.

"My point proven," he gasps.

I laugh.

"Hey, great to meet all of you."

Kristoff takes this moment to push his way on.

"C'mon guys, let's go kill some stuff."

We follow him back downstairs, where I find that Flynn was able to locate his remote and start up the Xbox.

"Let our night of debauchery begin!" he announces, raising his can of root beer above his head.

"Here here," chants the others, which I assume is some standardized ritual.

"Um, here here," I repeat, not really knowing what to do exactly.

Flynn stares at me incredulously.

"You have not yet earned the right to toast yet, my friend."

I sink into my chair.

"You must first best my buddies and I in individual one on ones. Squire, start up the challenge!" he announces, pointing at Milo.

The guy scrambles up out of his seat, loading up Black Ops II into Flynn's First Edition Xbox 360 Elite. Flynn is still talking.

"First, you must beat Kristoff in a knife and tomahawk only match."

Kristoff eyes me, smirking.

"Then, you must beat Milo with crossbows and ballistic knives."

Milo looks up at his name, nodding at me, before going back to setting up the game.

"Following that, you must beat Eric with assault rifles."

Eric tips his root beer at me.

"Then, Jim with SMGs."

The guy doesn't even look up from his phone.

"And finally, me, with snipers," finishes Flynn.

"Alright, sounds fair," I say, looking around the room at my competition. "Let's go."

The afternoon goes by quickly as the guys and I play. I end up beating Kristoff in a close match, ending with an epic 'cross map tomahawk. I completely smoke Milo, constantly catching him with my crossbow. The match with Eric was pretty even, since he was a beast at using the LSAT, but I was able to pull through with an LSW and QuickDraw. Jim proved to be even tougher, as he was in the lead the entire game except for at the last minute. Finally, I got to Flynn.

"Alright newbie," he taunts, taking the controller from Jim. "You were able to outplay the majority of us, but your winning streak ends here."

He starts up the final game, on Nuketown, with DSRs and Ballistas only.

I choose my trusty DSR and proceed to wipe the map with Flynn. He is audibly cursing beside me. As the game heats up, the others start cheering for me instead of Flynn. I just stay focused on the screen, watching every pixel for movement.

Finally, the game ends 30 to 11. I toss my controller down and turn around to stare at Flynn, who has his head on his arms. Milo leans over to me.

"He hasn't been beat this bad since he met Jim," he says behind his hand.

I smile, tapping Flynn on the shoulder.

"Well Flynn, looks like I passed your test. Am I worthy enough now?"

He looks up at me, defeat evident on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, you win."

I'm about to stand up for another Coke when the doorbell rings again. Flynn glances up the stairs, surprised.

"Must be the pizza guy."

He gets up and heads upstairs while Eric and Jim start playing some online games. After a minute, he comes back down, his usual cocky demeanor gone.

"Uh, Frosty, it's for you," he says, before heading back up.

"Ugh, what could it be this time?" I groan, pulling myself up out of my chair to follow him.

The two people at the door were the last two I'd expect to see today.

"Mom? Colonel Simms?"


End file.
